
Cfass, 
Book__ 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 



Historical Sketches 

OF 

Willies County 



By 



John Crouch 



'rite ■pi'incipal office of JiUtory I take to he thi><: to prcrcnt 
v: :-t 11 011^ actions froiii tteinrj forgotten, — ■Tacitus. 



PriiilL'd and Bound bv John Crouch at 

THE CHRONICLE JOB OFFICE 

WILKESBORO, N. ('., 

m)2. 



THE LIBRARY OF 
CONGRESS, 

T^nf) Cow 68 Reosived 

3£5^. ^0 1902 

COPVRIQHT ENTRY 

AvfL . / i - / 'f ■2- 

CLASS tx.-XXa No. 

COW b; 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1902, bj 

JOHN CROUCH', 
in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

Page. 



Introduction 




Formation 


1 


Early Settlers 


4 


The Moravians in Wilkes 


9 


Benjamin Cleveland 


11 


First Will Probated 


8(3 


General Wm. Lenoir ' ' 


86 


Zebulon Baird, Grandfather of Zeb Vance, 


48 


First Church in the County 


44 


Early Schools 


45 


'^To Thumb the Notch" 


46 


Daniel Boone 


47 


Kings Mountain 


56 


The Siamese Twins 


59 


The Show Fight 


61 


James Henry Spainhour 


68 


Col. W. H. H. Cowles 


()4 


Rev. Geo. W. Greene 


68 


Doctor Tyre York 


()9 


Montford Stokes 


71 


C. C. Petty (col.) 


74 


The Cleveland Oak 


74 


Rufus A. Spainhour 


75 


Lovers' Leap 


76 


Courthouses and Jails 


77 


Harry Holland 


80 


Agricultural Possibilities 


81 


Fort Hamby 


85 


Simmons' Gang of Robbers 


91 


Stoneman's Raid 


98 



Montforcl Siclne}^ Stokes 95 

Gen. John vSevier 97 

Chas. Gordon 99 

Gen. John B. Gordon 100 

The "Blizzard Roost" 105 

Gen. James Wellborn 10(5 

Hon. Anderson Mitchell 107 

Col. Wm. M. Barber 108 

Lee Carmichael 108 

Col. Thomas C. Land , 109 

Rev. W. R. Bradshaw 110 

Newspapers 112 

Lawyers * 119 

Physicians IBB 

Schools of Wilkes County 1B7 

James Gordon Hackett 1B9 

Calvin J. Cowles 1B9 




JOHN CROUCH. 




INTRODUCTION. 

^ILKES county has been the scene of many 
historic occurrences. From the time 
that the Moravians first made their ap- 
pearance within her borders her inhab- 
itants have been making history hj the wholesale. 
During the Revolutionary struggle I dare say there 
was not another county throughout the colonies 
that figured so prominently as Wilkes. 

At kings Mountain, the turning point of the 
..evolution, about one-half the American forces 
were from Wilkes. And gallantly they did their 
country's service until the enemy's commander, who 
sworf^ he had found a place "where God Almighty 
could not drive him from," lay dead upon the bat- 
tle fi<4d and his forces either killed or taken prison- 
ers. And when the Tories and Indians needed at- 
tention, "Cleveland's Devils," as the Tories called 
them, were always equal to the occasion, and there 
always had to be some earnest "cleaning up" on the 
partV)f the Tories and Indians or some of their par- 
tv would dangle from a limb. 

" In the conflict Avith Mexico Wilkes furnished a 
company which did valiant service in behalf of the 
American cause, and our illustrious Colonel Sidney 
Stokos was so admired by those under his command 
that a Ijeautiful sword was presented him as a token 
of respect and love. 

An-^ when it came to the Civil war our record 
sta ■ ^ without a parallel. Some men from Wilkes 
madt Kcellent soldiers in the Union army, but 
mo '. ( ^ the men of Wilkes took their stand with 
fhe " 'ederacy. Such leaders as Gordon, Stokps. 



TXTHODUcTTOX. 

Barber, Cowlos and others, with their brave subor- 
dinates, won th(^ esteem and love of the whole Con- 
federate army ; and their achievments on the battle 
tields sliow the display of such courage and bravery 
as has never ))een excelled in the world's history. 

In the recent wars with Spain ^ and the Filipinos 
Wilkes s()ldiers have served with distinction. 

It is a lamentable fact that the history of our 
county has been so strangely neglected. Any of 
«^ur school teachers and scholars can tell us about 
the history of Rome and Greece, but few of them 
know anything of the history of their own county, 
not even the date of its formati(m. The fair records 
of her early fame are almost forgotten. It is the 
purpose of this little l)ook to gather such as can be ., 
obtained of these records and give them to th(^ peo- 
ple of the county in a shape that the}^ "^^^J ^^' '^^'^-- 
served, and that future generations may know ,of , 
and share in the glory of our ancestors. It is more J 
than probable that I have made mistakes in recoi-d- | 
ing these sketches, but all the available inforniatiop j 
has been obtained, and every statement, according I 
to my view, is as near correct as could l)e asce ''twin- 
ed. 

The author does not aspire to be an IiistoriMiu 
in collecting and compiling and composing, 
little book, T shall succeed in "rescuing from 
dust of age cr the obliterating hand of time'' - • 
few of the events and a few of tlie names "t 
time persons that so characterized our comt.v 
days gone by, my efforts w411 not be in vain. 11' i^ { 
my desir(- that the people of Wilkes county] 
read the pages of this bo(-k and there1";y l-e p < 
ed to increase their ]mtrioiism and take a{ I 
interest in the history of tlieir own county. / 

Surely the young peoj^e will take an int/ '^^^ 
reading this hook. If only the voiiijis / 



INTRODUCTION. 

)i'ar()liiia and Wilkes county could get a forctasto <>1 
our liiBtory, our records would not be hidden in 
darkness but our history would be given to the 
Avorld, that not only ours -Ives, but all people might 

I k^w of our achiev^ements and profit tlierel)y. The 
young *people ought to be encouraged to emulate the 
noble record of our worthy ancestors. We are told 
l>y Sallust tluit Scipio and Maximus, when looking 
upon the statues of their illustrious countrymen. 
!)ecanie violently agitated. He says, ''It could not 
l)e the I inanimate marble which possessed this 
mighty power. It was the recollection of noble ac- 
tions which kindled this generous flame in their 
l)osoms, only to be quenched when they, too, by 
I heir achievements and virtues, had acquired equal 
I'eputation." 

"And by their light 

Shall every gallant youth with ardor move 

'^o do brave deeds." 

Free from the shackles of parties and sects I have 
tried t<> divest myself of all partialities or preju- 
dices and present Wilkes county and her sons as 
Cromwell would have Lely to paint his portrait : 
"True, as it is." Nothing has been omitted from 
personal motives, nor have I neglected to express 
yiews and opinions of any inan or event sketch- 
fi this book because of party affiliations or sec- 
m principles. 

'ilkesboro, N. C, 
Dec. 12, 1901. 




ISTORIOAL SKETCHES OF WILKES 
COUNTY. 



FORMATION. 

, .^iLKES county was formed from Surry county in 
r7, and was named in honor of John Wilkes, a 
...,tinguished English statesman and member of 
■Vliament. He was ejected by the Ministerial par- 
.- rom Parliament on account of his liberal polit- 
':^%\ dews; and as often was returned by the people. 
\m . led in 1797. 

I'lie county is situated in the north-western part 
porth Carolina, and is bounded on the north by 
I Blue Ridge, which separates it from Ashe and 
Lghany counties ; on the east by Surry and Yad- 
couiities ; on the south by Iredell and Alexan- 
, counties, and on the west by Caldwell and Wa- 
i[TSi counties. The larger portion of the county 
j; between two great mountain ranges and the 
|<;kin river flows between, thus forming a valley 
■ unexcelled fertility and picturesque beauty. 
|^;des the Yadkin there are Mitchell's, Roaring 
ill Red dies rivers and numerous large creeks in the 
^uity. These rise in the mountains and flow into 
M Yadkin, running sometimes through broad and 
te ile bottoms and sometimes leaping over rocks 
It breaking through ridges, thus affording im- 
Ji se water p^wer and delightful scenery. 
V- I kesboro, i he capital, is a beautiful town of 
,al o t 800 population, situated on the south bank of 
^le^iadkin near the center of the county. It was 



^- HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

founded in 1778 by John Parks, John Barton, Cf _ 
Gordon, Francis Hardgrave, Rowland Jiidd, Georgia 
Morris and John Witherspoon, who were appointed 
bv the General Assembly to select a county seat for 
\ViLk'3s county. It is about 175 miles north-west of 
Raleigh. 

The committee appointed by the General Assem- 
bly to survey the dividing line between Wilkes and 
Surry made the following report of their work, 
which is the first paper recorded in the county 
records : • 

Wilkes County Line, &c, 

"A return of the proceedings of the commission- 
ers who were ap|x>inted to run the dividing line Be- 
tween the counties of Surry and Wilkes, to wit : ' 

"Beginning on Rowan county line about half a \ 
mile below Daniel Rash's at a white oak standing 'iii ' 
the head of a branch of Hunting creek, thence noi^li 
crossing the Mulberry Field road about half a mile 
below Hamlin's old store house, thence through 
Solomon Sparks' plantation, leaving the said 
Sparks' home in Surry county, thence crossing the 
Brushy mountain at the head of the north fork "of 
Swan creek, then crossing the Yadkin river a little 
below Capt. Parks' and through the lower end 'of \ 
Carroll's plantation on the north side of said rivWj i 
thence crossing the Big Elkin at the Long Shojils, , 
thence crossing the south fork of Mitchell's riveic a- ' 
bout half a mile above Bigg's road, thence cross&g ; 
Mitchell's river a little below John Scott's, crossfn 
the top of the Poiney Knob to the main ridge^ 
mountains about two miles west of Fisher Pe: 
thence to the Virginia line ; being run exactly : 
miles west of Surry court house, agreeable to act 
Assembly, by Robt. Lanier, ) 

Henry Speer, > Commissionei 
Joseph Herndon." ) 



OF WILKS COUNTY. 8, 

F/oiii the best information, the county of Wilkes 
origiiuilly embraced all the territory included in the 
follo^ving boundary lines : Beginning at the white 
o«k mentioned as the starting point in the above re- 
port and running west to the Mississippi river, then 
north with said river to the Virginia line (now the 
"Tentncky line), then east wdth said Virginia line to 
le ijorth-west corner of Surry county, then soutli 
[th the Surr}^ county line — as given in the above 
)rt — to the beginning. When the county was 
:med it included all of the counties of Ashe, iVlle- 
iny, W^atauga and Mitchell, and a portion of the 
^unties of Iredell, Alexander, (the line ran a mile 
or so south of where Taylorsville now stands) Cald- 

f, Burke and Yancy, and probably others, and 
a large portion of Tennesse. In w^hat is now 
n<^ssee there w^ere local governments organized, 
they were hardly recognized as counties by the 
"l^^te government. The districts of Washington. 
1 • 't. :i^•a and Greene were organized within the bor- 
Wilkes and later were admitted as counties 
^^ate of Franklin, but until Tennessee was or- 
; ! Wilkes county was the legal division of all 

itory included in the borders of the county. 
.- is not near so large now. She has given 
!,;-> I .;i territory and other counties have grown out 
>|' ^^L. Like a venerable mother she now nestles 
•i't'*. 'en the Brushies and the Blue Ridge with her 
i^^ -"era settled around her. We look upon the 
^■i'-i ^W8 of the counties beyond the Blue Ridge, the 
llpv bottoms of the Yadkin in Caldwell, and on 
^\ o d til!; Smokies we see a section w^ell developed 
I msperous. Cities have sprung up; railroads 
l"e )een built, and mines that produce millions of 
lla s worth of coal, iron, mica, copper, etc., have 
in evelo]»ed. They are all the otif'spring of the 
d V ilif"- countv. We, look u[)on th(^m to-day and 

' ■ \ 



4. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

bid th'^m God speed in their march of progress, 



EARLY SETTLERS. 

One hundred and seventy-five years ago Wills^ 
county had never been trod by the feet of Anglor- 
Saxons. All this vast country was inhabited only 
by savage Indians and the wild beasts of the forest. 
How little did the Indian think that in a short time 
he would be driven from his model hupting ground 
by the whites, who would clear away the giant trees 
of the forest and the dense jungles in the swamps 
along the banks of the Yadkin and oth. ji^ 
and cultivate the lands that were the hoir" 
deer, elk, bear, wildcat, fox and other wild ..k. 
But the goodly lands of this section wer ^ m :•: 
tended to be always inhabited by savagen -xnu. : ' 
animals. A nobler race of people needed th<.' 
tory in which to live and build homes ar'd 
and schools. 

Tradition tells us that the swamps along J 3 
Yadkin were the scene of many hard fought bf-itles 
between different Indian tribes before the w'-^. 
made their appearance in this section. 7^ u 
good evidence to sustain this tradition. Indi5- ■ 
implements, such as arrow flints, tomahawk- 
have been found in large numbers sinc-^ 
have been cleared. Also many Indian ^<^ 
have been found. The jungles along ilu- \ 
furnished excellend hiding places for the ^avag. 



would conceal themselves and lay in 
whites, and so the swamps were also t1 
many fights between the Indians and 
The freshets in the spring of 1901 unea 
skeletons ; minie balls* were also fo. 



i> i 



OP WILKES COUNTY. O. 

freshet. 

Just when the first white setth^rs came to what !> 
now Wilkes county is not known. As early as 1740 
the crack of the white man's rilie had brought tlie 
timid deer to the ground and friglitened the otlier 
animals of the forest. Governor Rowan wrote tliat, 
"'In the year 174(3, I was in the territory from the 
Saxapahaw (now Haw river) to the mountains, and 
there were not above one hundred fighting men in 
all that back country." According to the Colonial 
Records there were, in 1749, only tliree hundred 
taxable men in North Carolina west of Haw river. 

About the year 1750 three streams of i migrants 
began to poiir into this section of the State — one 
from south-eastern Pennsylvania, one from eastern 
North Carolina and one from South Carolina. But 
most of the settlers coming within the present bor- 
ders of Wilkes county came from eastern North 
Carolina, Among them may be mentioned the 
Stokes, Greenes, Mitchells, Wellbornes, Browns and 
others. Most of these were of English descent. 

The Moravians were probably the first whites to 
explore the upper Yadkin valley, but few, if any, of 
them became permanent settlers. They came, -sur- 
veyed sonie land, made some exploration and re- 
turned to the Moravian settlements about Salem. 

Different motives prompted the first settlers to 
come here. Some came seeking religious freedom 
which was not accorded them by the provincial gov- 
ernment. Others grasped the opportunity to come 
and take up the lands, while others came probably 
to gratify their desire for a frontier life. 

The desire for absolute freedom from British rule 
was spreading all over the colony, and in this sec- 
tion, remote from the seat of the provincial govern- 
ment, the inhabitants could exercise more freedom 
han other settlers who were in closer proximity to 

2 



6. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

the British agents. Thus it was that such men as 
Colonel Cleveland, General Lenoir and others were 
ready to make their mark when the struggle came 
on. They cherished the thought of independence 
and kept adding fuel to the flame. 

The early settlers found certain sections clear of 
timber. The places where Wilkesboro and North 
Wilkesboro now stand were among these sections. 
The early settlers supposed that the Indians had 
cleared away the timber, but it is my opinion that 
the natural state of the land in these sections at 
that time was barren of trees. There are certain 
sections in the western part of the State yet where 
trees will not grow. Among them may be mention- 
ed the Elk Gardens on White Top mountain and 
several places along the Blue Ridge. There is a 
small mountain in Trap Hill township called Gras- 
sy Knob that used to be barren of trees. J. Addison 
Spencer, in a recent letter, said that, "In 1854 my 
father moved from Randolph to Wilkes county and 
settled on the Elkin near the foot of the Blue Ridge, 
between two knobs known as Wellsey and Grassy 
Knobs, in the McCann neighborhood. The oldest 
man in that section at that time was James McCann, 
ancestor of the McCann generation. He was then 
about 80 years old and was one of the first settlers. 
I have heard him say that when he was young Gras- 
sy Knob had nothing but grass on it, from which it 
derived its name, and that he had seen large herds 
of deer grazing on it. It is now and was forty-five 
years ago heavily timbered. 

The Cherokee Indians were quite numerous in 
those days, and where North Wilkesboro now stands 
seemed to be their capital village. Here the Indi- 
ans held their annual corn dance, which was their 
festival of harvest. There they reeled and frenzie^ 
and made merry for days and weeks. In the botj 

t .. 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 7 

toms along Yadkin and Reddies rivers, which were 
then heavily timbered with stately cedars, were 
hundreds of Indian wigwams. 

On the hill where Gus Finley lived and died was 
erected by the early settlers a kind of fort known as 
the "Black House." Here the whites, when attack- 
ed by the Indians, would flee for refuge. They 
could spy the approaching enemy in every direction 
and bring him down with their deadly rifles before 
he could get close enough to do any injury to the 
whites. This house, or fort, seems to have been 
burnt by the Indians, but another was built on the 
same spot. The last one was called the "Red 
House." How long the "Red House" stood or how 
it was destroyed is not known, But it is probable 
that before it was destroyed the savages had been 
driven from the Valley of the Yadkin and it was no 
longer needed as a fort for protection from the at- 
tacks of the Indians. 

The early settlers had to go nearly two hundred 
miles to Cross Creek to get salt, sugar, iron and 
other necessities that they could not produce here. 
The women of those days were more industrious 
than the bon tons of the elite of society that we 
have with us to-day pretending to be wives and 
mothers. They would work in the fields all day. 
and at night they had the cotton to seed, flax to 
spin, carding, weaving, knitting and many other 
things to do. The meals had to be prepared too, 
but it required only a short time to do that ; the 
principal articles of food were "hog and hominy," 
and such other articles as could be produced on the 
plantation. Coffee and tea were rare ties. Tea 
made from spicewood twigs, sassafras roots and sage 
leaves and "cofl'ee" made of parched corn or rye 
was commonly used. 

In the spring of ';he year all the stock was belled 



<'^. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

;in(i turned loose in the woods to shift for theni- 
^ielves. Troughs were hewn in logs where the stock 
w.is salted about twice a week. These troughs were 
c-illed ''salt licks." In those days there was a kind 
of wild pea vine that grew abundantly in the woods 
and the stock would graze upon these pea vines and 
do well until cold weather. These wild pea vines 
(•eased to grow about fifty years ago. 

Thei'e is quite a contrast in society then and now, 
[n those days the dwellings usually consisted of two 
log houses — the kitchen and the "big house," and 
occasioucilly the "big house" had "up stairs." The 
"big house" was the parlor, sitting room and bed 
room combined. There was no organ nor piano, but 
the tiddie, banjo, flute and fife were the musical in- 
^^truments in those days. Courting was carried on 
in those da}^, you bet, but the bon tons of to-day 
\V(VLildn't have recognized the style in those days. 
There were no drives in costly vehicles nor expensive 
hridal tours. When the distance to be traveled was 
too far to walk they rode on horseback. Bride and 
groom or beau and sweetheart would both ride the 
same horse and hie away over the rough roads as 
merrily as the mated sparrows fly about their nest. 
The courting at home was done in the "big 
house" in the corner by the fire while the old folks 
WHi'e in bed and pretendedly asleep in the back end 
of the room. Corn shuckings, quiltings, etc., were 
great social events. At night after the work was 
('om})lHte, the neighborhood fiddler came in tind the 
Fun began. Until an hour or two before day both 
old and young, male and female, would dance and 
skip and play keeping step with the music all thf 
while. Everybody believed in helping his neighbors 
do their work and in turn his neighbors would hel{) 
him. The whole comtniiriity would engage in shuck- 
iii.L;- coi-M, (4('.. and keep moving j.bout until every 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 9. 

inan'8 work was done, keeping up the frolickR every 
iijight. When a man killed a hog or a yearling he 
would divide with his neighbors who would repay 
when butchering day came with them. 

The principal sports among the men were hunting 
and horse racing, and in later years, mustering. 
In those days there was no tax on "grog," as they 
called it, and from all information it was freely 
used. 

It is peculiarly interesting to study the habits and 
customs of our fore fathers who first inhabited this 
country ; think of them chasing the deer, elk. bear 
and other game ; their conflicts with the Indians ; 
the eyery day association with such pioneers as 
Daniel Boone and Benjamine Cleveland. But the 
frontier life is a thing of the past ; the pioneers have 
long since passed away, and all that is left is the 
county which they founded and nurtured in its in- 
fanc3^ Let us honor them by keeping the records 
of our county spotless and clean. 



THE MORAVIANS IN WILKES. 

Lord Granville was one of the eight Lords Propri- 
etors of North Carolina. He did not sell his inter- 
est m the lands of North Carolina back to the King 
of England as did the other seven Lords Proprietors. 
In 1752 he granted ten thousand acres of land to the 
Moravians, who surveyed a part of the ten thousand 
acres — 8778 acres — within the present borders of the 
county of Wilkes. Two surveys were made, knowni 
as the upper and lower Moravian surveys. The 
hnver survey included the site of Wilkesboro and 
^'xtended down the river to Blair's island, and up 
t he river about a mile above North Wilkesl)or(» 



10. HISTORICAL SKETCHEg 

crossing the river and running on the north side, 
then again crossing the river between the Hackett 
and Stokes farm, leaving the latter out of the sur- 
vey. The line crossed the Wilkesboro and Moravian 
Falls road near where R. C. Lowe now lives, and 
ran out near Oakwoods and back to the beginning. 
The upper survey included the sections about Mo- 
ravian Falls and Goshen. The exact lines of either 
survey can not now be located. 

It is said that the Moravians intended to include 
in their survey the bottoms on the north side of the 
Yadkin about where North Wilkesboro now stands, 
but when the surveyors came to the heights on the 
south side of the river and looked over and saw so 
many smokes rising from Indian wigwams they con- 
cluded it would be best to leave the savages unmo- 
lested, so they went a mile further up the river be- 
fore crossing. 

It is said that the Moravians were in search of 
potter's clay, and failing to find it in desirable 
quantities, they failed to pay Lord Granville for the 
land. 

Lord Granville afterwards sold the lands that the 
Moravians had surveyed to a man in Ireland named 
Oassart. His son. Christian Frederick Cassart. 
sold the lands, by power of attorney , to Hugh Mont- 
gomery, of Salisbury. Montgomery made a deed of 
trust to James Kerr, David Nesbit and John Brown, 
who were to divide the lands to his daughters, Ra- 
chel and Rebecca. Rachel married Gov. Montford 
Stokes and Rebecca married General James Well- 
born . 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 11. 

FIRST COUNTY OFFICERS. 

Wilkes county was formed in 1777, but it was 
not organized until in the spring of the next year. 
Following is a list of the first county officers, who 
took charge of the affairs of the new county on the 
^nd day of March, 1778: 

Sheriff, Richard Allen. 

Treasurer, Richard Allen. 

Entry Taker, Benjamin Herndon. 

Surveyor, Joe Herndon. 

Register, John Brown. 

Ranger, John Brown. 

Coronor, Charley Gordon. 

Clerk Coui^ty Court, William Lenoir. 

Representatives, Benjamin Cleveland and Elisha 
Isaacs. 



BENJAMIN CLEVELAND. 

Ancestry, 

A STORY has it that a beauty in the time of 
Charles the First named Elizabeth Cleveland, a 
daughter of an officer of the palace of Hampton 
Court, attracted the attention of her sovereign, and 
an amour was the result. When Oliver Cromwell 
became the rising star of the empire the same 
charms won his sympathies, and a son was born unto 
them. The mother retired from public gaze and 
subsequently married a man named Bridge. When 
this illigitimate son grew up he took his mother's 
name and was the reputed author of a book, ^'The 
Life and Adventures of Mr. Cromwell, Natural 
Son of Oliver Cramwell/' published after his 



12. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

death by consent of his son, first in 1731, a second 
edition, with a French translation in 1741, and yet 
another edition in 1760. 

Whether or not Benjamin Cleveland descended 
from this man and from Oliver Cromwell is a mat- 
ter of conjecture. But whether or not the story is a 
romance or records a series of facts it is novertheless 
true that Colonel Cleveland had a copy of the book 
and claimed in this way to have descended from the 
illustrious Oliver Cromwell. Others of the Cleve- 
land family made the same claim. 

The Clevelands derive their name from a 
tract of country in the north Riding of Yorkshire, 
England, still called Cleveland. 

John Cleveland was one of the early imigrants to 
Virginia. He settled on the since famous Bull Run, 
and his occupation was that of house-joiner. His 
son, Benjamin Cleveland, the subject of' this sketch, 
was born there on the 26th of May, 1788; and while 
yet very young his father moved some sixty miles to 
the south-west, locating in a border settlement on 
Blue Run, some six or eight miles above its junction 
with the Rapidan, near the line of Albemarl. 

Boyhood. 

When little Benjamin was about twelve years old. 
some drunken rowdies came to Cleveland's home 
one day when both parents were away from home. 
The rowdies commenced throwing the stools in the 
fire, when little Ben snatched his father's riflle from 
the racks and simply said, "gentlemen do you see 
this?" They saw the gun and the determined atti- 
tude of the youth, which led them to think discre- 
tion the better part of valor, when one of the party 
"said to his fellows : "We'd better be off ; we don't 
know what this excited child might do." So little 
Ben's conduct caused the rowdies to lenvp. 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 18. 

Young Cleveland did not "fancy" farm life, but, 
like Daniel Boone, he preferred a dog and gun and 
the forest. He spent much of his time from parly 
youth in the wilderness, securing pelts and furs 
which found a ready market. Fire-hunting at that 
day was a very common and popular mode of en- 
tra])ping the deer in warm weather, when they re- 
paired to certain localities at night in shallow 
streams, where they could find food suiting tlieir 
taste. The torch lights of the hunters would so daz- 
zle the attention of the deer that he would stand in 
amazement watching the strange light, while the 
hunter had only to blaze away at its glaring eyes 
and. bring it down. 

There was an old Dutchman in that region who 
had a good stand for fire-hunting, and young Cleve- 
land wanted it himself. One day he peeled some 
bark off a tree and placed it in the water to resem- 
ble a deer. At night he concealed himself nearby 
where he could watch operations. In due time the 
Dutchman made his appearance — fired upon the 
supposed deer without bringing him down ; he re- 
peated his shot but still the deer remained unmoved, 
The Dutchman became alarmed and exclaimed, "It's 
de duy-vil," and at once abandoned that hunting 
ground. Young Cleveland chuckled not a little over 
the success of his stratagem. 

Cleveland Marries. 

At length young Cleveland married Miss Mary 
Graves, in Orange county, whose father was quite 
wealthy. But his marriage did not reform his wild 
and reckless habits. He still loved gaming, horse- 
racing, and the wild frolicking common in frontier 
life. In company with Joseph Martin — afterwards 
General Martin — he put in a field of wheat on Pig 
river, about the year 1767, where he settled some 

8 



14. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

four years before ; ]:>ut they were too indolent to 
fence it properly. When harvest time came there 
was something of a crop:. As w^as the custom at 
that time, they invited their friends to join them in 
cutting the grain ; for which occasion some liquor 
and a fiddler were provided, and a good time was 
necessary before entering upon the work, which end- 
ed in a debauch, and the grain was never harvested. 
Tradition tells us that Cleveland took an active 
part in the French and Indian wars, but the facts 
are lost to history. No doubt he was initiated into 
the military service in that border conflict, which 
proved a training school for his Revolutionary ca- 
reer. 

Cleveland Moves to Wilkes. 

In order to break away from reckless habits and 
old associaltions, Cleveland, about 1769, removed, 
with his father-in-law and family, to North Caroli- 
na and settled on the waters of Roaring river, then 
in Rowan, later Surry, and a few years later Wilkes 
county. Here Cleveland raised stock and devoted 
much of his time to hunting. Some time later he 
located on the noted tract on the north bank of the 
Yadkin, near Ronda, where Dr. James Hickerson 
now resides, known as the "Round About," taking 
its name from the horse-shoe shape of the land, 
nearly surrounded by the river. 

Cleveland's Kentucky Experience, 

Daniel Boone, on one of his visits from Kentucky, 
gave such a charming description of the "Dark and 
Bloody Ground"-^that land of cane and pea vines, 
abounding with deer and buffaloes — its wild charms, 
its rich soil, and its teeming game — that Cleveland 
could not resist the temptation. In the summer of 
about 1772, in company ,with Jesse Walton, Je^^se 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 15. 

Bond, Edward Rice and William Hightower, he set 
out to visit the hunting grounds of Kentucky. When 
they had safely passed Cumberland Gap, and enter- 
ed upon the borders of the famous Kentucky, with 
cheerful hopes and glowing prospects, they were un- 
expectedly met and plundered by a band of Chero- 
kees, who relieved them of their guns, horses, peltry 
and all that they possessed even to their hats and 
shoes. An old sorry shot gun was given in turn, 
with two loads of powder and shot, when they were 
threat ningly ordered to leave the Indian hunting 
grounds. There was nothing else they could do. 
On their way home they kept their amunition as 
long as possible ; with one load they killed a small 
deer — the other was spent without effect. They 
were so fortunate as to catch a broken-winged wild 
goose, and at last had to kill their faithful little 
hunting dog. In after years Cleveland said that 
this dog, owing to the circumstances, was the sweet- 
est meat he ever ate. With this scanty supply, and 
a few berries, they managed to hold out till they 
reached the settlements, but in a nearly famished 
condition. 

Several months afterwards Cleveland with a party 
of chosen men wended his way to the Cherokee 
towns, determined to recover the horses that had 
been taken from him and his associates. Cleveland 
applied to a noted Cherokee chief, known as Big 
Bear, who told him that the Indians who had his 
horses would be likely to kill him as soon as they 
should learn the object of his visit. Big Bear sent 
an escort with Cleveland to several towns to aid him 
in recovering his property. He succeeded without 
much dificulty except in the last place. The Indi- 
an having the horse showed fight, raised his tomma- 
hawk, and Cleveland cocked his rifle, when hie 
friendly escort interrupted, and saved his red broth- 



16. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

er from a fatal shot by throwing him to the ground : 
but not before he had hurled his battle-axe at hi.s 
antagoni^)t, which did no other harm than cutting 
away the bosom of Cleveland's hunting shirt. Then 
Cleveland, at the instance of the Indian guide^ 
mounted the horse which was at hand and was riding 
away when the enraged Indian fired at him wound- 
ing the horse but not severely ; and Cleveland and 
party returned with their horses in triumph. 

Some Hunting Experiences. 

Reuben Stringer was a noted woodsman of the 
upper Yadkin Valley, and was often Cleveland's as- 
sociate in his hunting adventures. They took an 
elk hunt together, in the month of August, when 
these animals were in their prime. The elks were 
large and very wild, and gradually retired before 
the advancing settlements. A few years before the 
Revolutionary war they were yet to be found at the 
foot of the mountain ranges on the head waters of 
N nv river. Pursuing a wounded elk, Cleveland in 
attempting to intercept him at a rocky point of the 
river, where he expected the elk to cross the stream, 
found himself surrounded by a large number of rat- 
tlesnakes, coiled, hissing, and fearfully sounding 
th3ir alarm rattles on every hand. From this dan- 
gerous dilemma his only deliverance seemed to be an 
instantaneous plunge into the river, which he made 
without a moment's hesitation, and thus probably 
escaped a horrible death. 

One day while Stringer was busy in preparing a 
fire to cook some of their wild meat for a repast, 
Cleveland spread his blanket on the ground under a 
large oak and lay down to rest himself and soon 
fell asleep. In a few moments he suddenly awoke 
in a startled condition — why, he could not tell — 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 17- 

and, casting his eyes into the treetops above, he saw 
a large limb, directly over him, nearly broken off, 
hanging only by a slight splinter to the parent tree. 
He said to his companion, pointing at the limb : 
"Look, Reubin, and see what an ugly thing we have 
camped under!" "It has, indeed, an ugly appear- 
ance," replied Reubin, "but since it has apparantly 
hung a great while in that condition, it may likely 
do so a good while longer." "Ah," said Cleveland, 
"as long as it has hung there, there is a time for it 
to come down, and I will not be in the way of dan- 
ger," and gathered up his blanket to spread it in a 
safer place. As he was passing the fire he heard a 
crack above — the splinter had broken and the liml) 
came tumbling down directly upon the ground 
where Cleveland but a moment before had lain. 
They pulled over the limb and found that its prongs 
had penetrated into the earth to the depth of four- 
teen inches. Stringer congratulated his comrade on 
his fortunate awaking and removal, "for," he add- 
ed, "in one minute more, you would have been in- 
evitably killed." "Ah Reubin," said Cleveland, 
"I always told you that no man would die till his 
appointed time ; and when it comes there can be no 
possible escape." 

His War Record Begins. 

In 1775, when Cleveland's neighbors and friends 
had occasion to go to Cross Creek to sell their sur- 
plus products and buy salt, iron, sugar and other 
necessaries, they were compelled, before they were 
permitted to buy or sell, to take the oath of allegi- 
ance to the King. When Cleveland heard of these 
tyrannical acts, and attempts to forestall the poli- 
tics of the people, he swore roundly that he would 
like nothing better than to dislodge those Scotch 
scoundrels at Crop ■ Creek. Soon an opportunity 



18: HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

was givon liim. In February 1776, the Higlilaii;! 
Tv)ries of that locality raised the British stanJarcI, 
when C I ptain Cleveland -marched down from the 
mountains with a party of volunteer riflemen ; and* 
tradition has it that he reached the front in time to 
share in the fight and in the suppression of the re- 
volt. He scoured the country in the region of Wake 
Forest, capturing several outlaws, some of whom he • 
hung to trees in the woods ; one of whom was Capt . - 
Jackson, who was executed within half a mile of 
Ransom Southerland's homestead, whose houses und 
merchandise Jackson had caused to be laid in ashes 
a few days after the battle of Moore's Creek Bridge. 
"I don't recollect," said Colonel Southerland in the 
N. C. University Magazine for September, 1854, 
''after Cleveland had done with them, to have heard 
much more of those wretches during the war." 

In 1776, when the Cherokees were inveigled into 
hostilities by the British, Captain Cleveland with a 
. company of mountaineers marched into the Indian 
territory and laid waste their vilages and crops, and 
the hostile Indians had to sue for peace. 

First Senator from Wilkes. 

When the British invaded Georgia in 1778 Colonel 
Cleveland and his regiment from Western N. C. 
served with distinction under General Rutherford. 
Returning from this service, in 1779, he was chosen 
to represent Wilkes county in the State Senate, be- 
ing the first Senator from the county. The year 
previous he and Elisha Isaacs were chosen to repre- 
sent the county in the House of Representatives, or 
House of Commons, as it was then called, as the 
first Representatives of the county. In 1780 Colo- 
nel Cleveland marched with his regiment against the 
Tories assembled at Ram^our's Mill, but reached 
that place too late for service as Clolonel Bryan '.<^ 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 1 '. 

band was chasing them from the State. He als > 
scoured the New River settlements, checking th3 
Tory uprising in that section, capturing and liang- 
ing some of their notorious leaders and outlaws. 

Cleveland at King's Mountain. 

Then his King's Mountain campaign — the crown- 
ing achievment of his life — the wounding of his 
brother Larkin Cleveland, while on the way, near 
Lovelady Shoals, on the Catawba river; and then 
hurrying forward to "graj^ple with the indomital^le 
Ferguson." The great service of Cleveland at this 
fight will be given in another chapter under the 
heading, "Battle of King's Mountain." Colonel 
Cleveland had assigned to him one of Ferguson's 
war horses which lived to an uncommon old age: 
he also carried home with him a snare-drum, which 
he kept as long as he lived, pointing to it with 
pride as a trophy of King's Mountain. 

Trouble for the Tories. 

James Coyle and John Brown, two notorious Tory 
plunderers, passed through Lincoln county and 
robbed the house of Major George Wilfong of every 
thing they could carry away, and then made off with 
a couple of his horses, using the clothes-line for hal- 
ters. Major Wilfong with a party followed the cul- 
prits, overtaking them near Wilkesboro, recovered 
the horses, but the ruffians made good their escape. 
Major Wilfong left the halters made of his clothes- 
line with Cleveland, with which to hang the rascals, 
should they ever be captured. Not long after, as 
they were returning to Ninety Six, they were capt- 
ured by some of Cleveland's scouts and brought to 
Wilkesboro and Colonel Cleveland had them hung 
with Wilfong's clothes-line on the oak tree that is yet 
standing just north of the court house in Wilkesboro. 



20. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

Captured by Tories; His Timely Rescue. 

On the South fork of New river in the extreme 
south-western portion of Ashe county (formerly a 
part of Wilkes) was a large ])oundry of land that 
was clear of timber and heavily set in grass. These 
lands — called the "Old Fields," and known by that 
name to this day — belonged to Colonel Cleveland, 
and served as a grazing place for his stock in peace- 
ful days. 

In 1781, having occasion to visit his New river 
plantation, Colonel Cleveland rode there accompa- 
nied only by a negro servant, arriving at Jesse Dun- 
can's, his tenant, on Saturday, the 14th day of 
April. Unfortunately for the Colonel, Captain 
William Riddle, a noted Tory leader, son of Loyal- 
ist Riddle, of Surry count}^, was approaching from 
the Virginia border with Captain Ross, a Whig 
captive, together with his servant, now en route for 
Ninety Six, where, it seems, the British paid a re- 
ward for Whig prisoners. Riddle, with his party of 
six or eight men, reached Benjamin Cutbirth's, 
some four miles above Old Fields, a fine old Whig 
and an old associate of Daniel Boone, who was just 
recovering from a spell of fever. The Tory Captain, 
probably from Cutbirth's reticence regarding solic- 
ited information, shamefully abused him and placed 
him under guard. 

Descending the river to the upper end of the Old 
Fields where Joseph and Timothy Perkins lived — 
about a mile above Duncan's — both of whom were 
absent in Tory service. Riddle learned from their 
women that Cleveland was but a short distance a- 
way, at Duncan's, with only his servant, Duncan, 
and one or two of the Callaway family there. Every 
Tory in the country knew full well that Cleveland 
was probably their worst enemy ; how prominently 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 21. 

he had figured at King's Mountain, and had given 
his influence for the Tory executions at Bickerstalf'8 
and caused the summary hanging of Coyle and 
Brown at Wilkesboro. Riddle thought that such a 
prisoner would be a valuable prize to offer to the 
British at Ninety Six, or it would be a crowning 
honor to the Tory cause to rid the country of prob- 
able their worst enemy. 

The prospect was too tempting and he at once set 
about to capture Cleveland. His force was too 
small to run any great risk, so he concluded to re- 
sort to stratagem. He resolved to steal Cleveland's 
horses in the quiet of night, judging that the Colo- 
nel would follow their trail the next morning, sup- 
posing they had strayed off, when he would ambus- 
cade him at some suitable place, and thus take **01d 
Round About,'* as he was called, unawares and at a 
disadvantage. The horses were taken that night, 
and a laurel thicket, just above Perkins' house, se- 
lected as a fitting place to waylay their expected 
pursuers. During Saturday, Richard Callaway and 
his brother-in-law, John Shirley, went down from 
the neighboring residence of Thomas Callaway to 
Duncan's, to see Colonel Cleveland, and appear to 
have remained there over night. 

Discovering that the horses were missing on Sun- 
day morning, immediate pursuit was made. Having 
a. pair of pistols. Colonel Cleveland retained one of 
them, handing the other to Duncan, while Callaway 
and Shirley were unarmed. Reaching the Perkins 
place, one of the Perkins women, knowing of the 
ambuscade, secretly desired to save the Colonel from 
his impending fate ; so she detained him as long as 
she could by conversation, evidently fearing person- 
al consequences should she divulge the scheme of 
his enemies to entrap him. His three associates 
kept on with Cleveland some little distance behind. 



22. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

Mrs. Perkins still following and retarding him by 
her inquiries. As those in advance crossed the fence 
which adjoined the thicket, the Tories fired from 
their places of concealment, one aiming at Cleve- 
land, who, though some distance in the rear, was 
yet within range of their guns. But they generally 
shot wild — only one shot, that of Zachariah Wells 
who aimed at Callaway, proving effectual, breaking 
his thigh, when he fell helpless by the fence and 
was left for dead.* Duncan and Shirley escaped. 
Cleveland from his great weight — fully three hun- 
dred pounds — knew he could not run any great dis- 
tance, and would only be too prominent a mark for 
Tory bullets, dodged into the house with several 
Tories at his heels. Now flourishing his pistol rap- 
idly from one to another, they pledged to spare his 
life and accord him good treatment if he would qui- 
etly surrender, which he did. 

Wells by this time having reloaded his rifle, made 
his appearance on the scene, swearing that he would 
kill Cleveland; and aiming his gun, the Colonel in- 
stantly seized Abigail Walters, who was present, and 
by dint of his great strength, and under a high 
state of excitement, dextrously handled her as a 
puppet, keeping her between him and his would-be 
assassin. Wells seemed vexed at this turn in the 
afl'air, and hurled his imprecations on the poor 
woman, threatning if she did not get out of the way 
that he would blow her through as well. Cleveland 

* Richard Callaway had been seriously wounded on the 
head, arms, shoulder and hand by Tarleton's cavalry, at 
8umpter's surprise, Aug. IS, 178l>, and left for dead; yet re- 
covered, though he had a crippled hand for life. In due 
time his broken limb, so hadly disabled by Wells' unerring 
shot, healed up and he lived njany years. He aided in run- 
ning the boundary line from the "White Top mountain to the 
Mississippi, and died in Tennessee in 1822. 



OF WILKES COUNTY* 23. 

got his eye on Captain Riddle, whom he knew, or 
juiged by his appearance to be the leader, appealed 
to him if such treatment was not contrary to the 
stipulations of his surrender. Riddle promptly re- 
plied that it was and ordered Wells to desist from 
his murderous intent, saying they would take Cleve- 
land to Ninety Six and make money out of his 
capture. The terrified woman, who had been made 
an unwilling battery, wa^ now released from Cleve- 
land's gntsp as from a vice ; and the whole party 
with th ur prisoner and his servant were speedily 
mounted and hurried up New river. This stream, 
so nexr its source, was quite shallow, and the Tories 
traveled niosfcly in its bed to avoid being tnicked, in 
case of pursuit; 

A^'ter Riddle and his party had called at Cut- 
birth's on their way down the river, young Daniel 
Cutbirth and a youth named Walters, who were ab- 
sent at the time returned, and encouraged by Mrs. 
Cutbirth they resolved to take their guns, select a 
■good spot, and ambuscade Riddle on his return, and 
perhaps rescue whatever prisoners he might have. 
But on the return of the Tory party the next day, 
they made so much noise, and gave so many milita- 
ry commands, tint led the youthful ambus waders to 
conclude that the Tories had' received a reenforce- 
meht, and that it woiild' be rasiin3ss for two single- 
handed youths to undertake to cope with numbers 
so unequal. So Riddle and 'his party reached Cut- 
birth's undisturbed, and Ordered dinner for himself, 
men, and prisoners: Riddle abused and even kicked 
one of the Cutbirth girls who did not willingly aid 
in preparing the dinner. After dinner they pro- 
ceeded up New rivef; mostly along its bed, until 
• they cjime to the moutfh of Elk creek, up which they 
"made their way in the same manner. Colonel Cleve- 
land managed to break off overhanging twigs and 



24. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

drop them in the water to float down as a guide to 
his friends, who he knew would make early pursuit. 
From the head of the south fork of Elk they ascend- 
ed up the mountain to what has since been known 
as Riddle Knob, in what is is now Watauga county, 
and about 14 miles from Old Fields where he was 
captured ; here they camped for the night. 

Early on the morning of Cleveland's capture Jo- 
seph Callaway and his brother-in-law, Berry Toney, 
wanting to see Cleveland on business, called at Dun- 
can's and learned of the missing horses and the search 
for them ; and at that moment they heard the report 
of the firing at the upper end of the plantation, and 
hastened in that direction, soon meeting Duncan 
and Shirley in rapid flight, who could only tell that 
Richard Callaway had fallen and that Cleveland 
was either killed or taken. It was at once agreed 
that Duncan, Shirley and Toney should notify the 
people of the scattered settlements to meet that 
afternoon at Old Fields, while Joseph Callaway 
should go to his father's close by, mount his horse 
and hasten to Captain Robert Cleveland's, on Lewie 
Fork, a dozen miles distant. His brother, William 
Callaway, started up the river and soon came across 
Samuel McQueen and Benjamin Greer, who readily 
joined him ; and all being good woodsmen, they fol- 
lowed the Tory trail as best they could, till night 
overt-ook them some distance above the mouth of 
Elk creek, and about ten miles from Old Fields. 
William Callaway suggested that he and McQueen 
would remain there while Greer should return to 
pilot up whatever men may have gathered to engage 
in the pursuit of the Tories. 

By night-fall Captain Robert Cleveland and twen- 
ty or thirty others, good and tried men, who had 
served under Colonel Cleveland, had gathered at Old 



or WILKE8 COUNTY. 2 . 

Fields, determined to rescue their old commander 
at every hazzard, even though they had to follow 
the Tory party to the gates of Ninety Six. Greer 
made his appearance in good time and at once they 
were on the trail of the enemy. They reached Will- 
iam Callaway and McQueen a while before day ; and 
as soon as light began to appear, John Baker joined 
Callaway and McQueen to lead the advance as spies. 
A little after sunrise, having proceeded four miles, 
they discovered indications of the enemy's camp on 
the mountain. But little arrangement was made 
for the attack ; nine men only were in readiness — 
the others seem to have been some distance behind. 
Only four or five of these were ordered to fire on 
the enemy, the others reserving their shots for a 
second volley, or any emergency that might happen 
■ — of these was William Callaway. 

Part of the Tories had already breakfasted, while 
others were engaged preparing their morning meal. 
Cleveland was seated on a large log while Riddle 
had Cleveland's own pistol pointed at him, also 
Zachariah Wells had his pistol pointed at Cleveland, 
forcing him to write out passes for the several mem- 
bers of Riddle's party certifying that each was a 
good Whig — to be used when in tight places, to help 
out of dificulty by asserting that they were patriots 
of the truest types. Cleveland's commendations 
passed unquestioned along the borders of Virginia 
and the Carolinas. But the Colonel had a strong 
suspicion that, since his captors were in such haste 
for the passports, as soon as they were out of hie 
hands his days would be numbered; and thus, natur- 
ally but a poor penman, he purposely retarded hie 
task as much as possible, hoping to gain time for 
the expected relief, apologizing for his blunders and 
renewing his unwilling efforts. Several of the Tory 
party were now saddling their horses for an early 



26. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

vstart, and Cleveland was receiving severe threats if 
he did not hurry up the last passport. 

Just at this moment the relief party was silently 
creeping up ; and the next moment, several guns 
were fired and the whigs rushed up, utteri.ig their 
loudest yells. Colonel Cleveland, comprehending 
the situation, tumbled off behind the log, lest h^is 
friends might accidently shoot him, and exclaiming 
at the top of his thundering voice, "Huzza for 
BiioTHEK Bob! That's right, give 'em hell," 
Wells alone was shot as he was scampering away by 
William Callaway in hot pursuit, and supposed to 
b} mortally wounded; he wa-^ l^ft to his fate. The 
rest fled with the aid of their fresh horses, or such 
as they could secure at the moment — Riddle and 
his wife among the number. Cleveland's servant, a 
pack-horse for Tory plunder, was overjoyed at his 
sudden liberation. Cleveland and Ross were thus 
fortunately rescued:, and having g lined their pur- 
pose the happy \vhigs returned to their several 
homes. William Callaway was especially elated 
that he had shot Wells who held so badiv w jund'ed 
his brother, Richard Callaway, at the skirmish )xt 
Old Fields the morning before. 

Riddle Capture'd and Hung. 

A short time aftpr this occirrence. Captain Rid- 
. die ventured to make a night raid into the Yadkin 

Valley, where,, on King's creek, several miles above 
v Wilkesboro, they surrounded the house where . two 
:;of Cleveland's noted soldiers, David and John With- 
».;erspoon,;resided, with their parents. The two were 

.taken prisoners and carried to the Tory camp on 
: Watauga rivjer, ^^^here.both were sentenced to be shot 
' •rT-rbiindfold.edi, and men detailed to do the fatal 

work. .. It was then propps.ed, if they would take the 

oath of allegiance to the King, return to their home 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 27* 

and speedily return with a oertain noble animal ber 
longing to David Witherspoon, known as the O'Neal 
mare, and join the Tory band, their lives would be 
spared. They ghidly accepted the proposition — 
with such hesitation as they thought best to make. 
As soon as they reached home David Witherspoon 
mounted his fleet-footed mare and hastened to Col. 
Ben Herndon's, several miles down the river, who 
quickly raised a party, and piloted by the Wither- 
spoons, they soon reached the Tory camp, taking 
it by surprise, capturing three and killing and dis- 
persing others. The young Witherspoons fulfilled 
their promise of speedily returning to the Tory camp 
bringing the O'Neal mare, but under somewhat dif- 
ferent circumstances from what the Tories expected. 
The prisoners were Captain Riddle and two of his 
associates named Reeves and Goss. They were 
brought to Wilkesboro and tried by court martial 
and sentenced to be hung. But in order to gain fa- 
vor with the Whigs or get them in a condition so that 
they might escape Riddle treated them freely to 
whiskey. Colonel Cleveland informed him that it 
was useless to be Wasting his whiskey as he would 
be hung directly after breakfast. The three Tories 
Avere accordingly hung on the notorious oak that 
is yet standing in the town of Wilkesboro. Mrs. 
Riddle, wife of the Tory leader, was present and 
witnessed the execution of her husband and his 
comrades. 

How the Tories Hated Him, 

Colonel Cleveland wa;s the Tories' worst enemy 
in this section. He was determined to break up 
the Tory bands that infested the frontier. Cleve- 
land and his regiment were known far and near for 
their courage. They were known among the Whigs 
as Cleveland' s Heroes, or Cleveland's Bull Dogs, 



28. HI8T0KICAL SKETCHES 

while the Tories denominated them ''^ Cleveland'' s 
Devils.'''' Cleveland himself rated each of his well- 
tried followers as equal to five soldiers. 

Zachariah Wells Captured and Hung, 

It was not long until one of Cleveland's men capt- 
ured Zachariah Wells, who had not yet recovered 
from the wounds received at Riddle Knob. He was 
taken to Hughes' bottom, about a mile below Cleve- 
land's Round About residence. Here James Gwyn, 
a youth of thirteen, with a colored boy, was at work 
in the field, when Cleveland, who had joined those 
having the prisoner in charge, took the plow-lines 
from the horse with which to hang Wells to a tree 
on the river bank. Young Gwyn, who knew noth- 
ing of the stern realities of war, was shocked at the 
thought of so summary an execution. Being well 
acquainted with Colonel Cleveland he begged him 
not to hang the poor fellow, who looked so pitiful 
and was suffering from his former wound. This ex- 
cited the Colonel's sympathies, and he said, "Jirr- 
mie, my son, he is a bad man; we must hang all 
such dangerous Tories, and get them out of their 
misery." Captain Robert Cleveland, who was pres- 
ent, was cursing the wincing Tory at a vigorous rate. 
With tears coursing down his cheeks, the Colonel 
adjusted the rope, regretting the necessity for hang- 
ing the trembling culprit — remembering very well 
the rough treatment he had received at the hands of 
Wells at the Perkins place at the Old Fields ; and 
firmly convinced that the lives of the patriots of the 
Yadkin Valley would be safer, and their slumber all 
the more peaceful, when their suffering country was 
rid of all such vile desperadoes. Wells soon dan- 
gled from a convenient tree and his remains were 
buried in the sand on the bank of the river. 



t>F WILKES COUNTY. 29. 

Other Tories See Trouble. 

"Many other Tories fell into the hands of Cleve- 
land's brave troopers and summary punishment was 
meted out to them in Cleveland's usual way. Once 
a Tory leader named Tate and eight others were 
captured and Cleveland and his men had them near 
tjld Richmond, m Surry county. When Cleveland 
was about to execut^e the leader, Colonel William 
Shepherd protested against such summary justice. 
''Why," said Cleveland, '*Tate confesses that he 
has frequently laid in wait to kill you," *'Is that 
so?" inquired Shepherd, turning to the Tory cap- 
tain. Tate confessed, and Shepherd yielded to 
Cleveland's plan and Tate soon dangled from a limb. 
Tate's associates suffered only imprisonment as oth- 
er prisoners of war. 

On another occasion Colonel Cleveland visited 
Colonel Shepherd at Richmond, where he had two 
notorious horse-thieves in prison. Cleveland insist- 
ed on swinging them to the nearest tree lest they 
should make their escape and yet further endanger 
the community — ^at least one of them, whose crimes 
rendered him particularly obnoxious to the people. 
One end of a rope was fastened to his neck when he 
was mounted on a log and the other end tied to a 
limb; then the log wa^, rolled from under him and 
he dangled from a limb in plain view of the prison. 
The other culprit was shown liis comrade swinging 
from the limb and he was given liis choice, to take 
his place beside him. or cut <>tf Ix^th his own ears and 
leave the country forever. The Tory knew it would 
not do to meddle with, old Round About, so Iih 
called for a knife. He was handed a case knife, and 
ufter whetting it on a brick lie gritted his teeth and 
<sawed otT })oMi f»ars. He was then lil)or.-jted niul h<' 



30. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

left with the blood streaming down both cheeks and 
was never heard of afterwards. 

''I'll Show You Perpetual Motion.'^ 

John Doss was the faithful overseer of Colonel 
Cleveland's plantation while the Colonel was absent 
from home during the Tory troubles in 1780-81. 
Bill Harrison, a noted Tory leader in this region, 
with the aid of his followers, not only stole Cleve- 
land's stock and destroyed his property, but arrested 
his overseer, took him to a hill-side, placed him on 
a log, fastened one end of a grape vine around his 
neck and the other end was fastened to the prong of 
a stooping dogwood ; then one of the party went up 
the hill so as to gain sufficient propelling power, 
then rushed down headlong, butting Doss off the log 
into eternity. It was not long until Harrison was 
caught and brought to Cleveland's home. Accom- 
panied by his servant Bill and one or two others 
Cleveland led Harrison to the same dogwood on 
which he had hung poor Doss, 

"I hope you are not going to hang me, Colonel," 
muttered the trembling wretch. '^Why not?" "Be- 
cause," said the Tory, "you know I am a useful 
man in the neighborhood — am a good mechanic — 
have worked for you in peaceful days, and cannot 
well be spared ; besides I have invented perpetual 
motion, and if I am now suddenly cut off, the world 
will loose the benefit of my discovery. I, too, have 
heard you curse Fanning and other Loyalist leaders 
for putting prisoners to death — where are your prin- 
ciples — where your conscience?" "Where is my 
conscience," retorted Cleveland; "where are my 
horses and cattle you have stolen ; my barn and 
fences you have wantonly burned — and where is 
poor Jack Doss? 'Fore God I will do this deed and 
justify myself before high Heaven and my country I 



OF WILKES COUNTY. L 

Run up the hill, Bill, and but him off the log — I'll 
show him perpetual motion 1" 

The Boys Hang a Tory. 

On one occasion when Colonel Cleveland was away 
from home, a Tory horse-thief was captured and 
brought and turned over to Cleveland's sons, to 
await their father's return. The Colonel, not re- 
turning as soon as was expected, and fearing if they 
should undertake to keep the prisoner over night he 
might escape or give them trouble, they appealed to 
their mother to know what was best to do under the 
circumstances. Mrs. Cleveland said to the boys, 
"What would your father do in such a case?" The 
boys promptly replied, "Hang him." "Well then," 
said the old lady, "you must hang him," and the 
thief was accordingly hung at the gate. 

Cleveland's Generosity, 

The reader must not suppose that Colonel Cleve- 
land always deemed it the best policy to resort to 
the severest treatment of Tory thieves brought be- 
fore him. He was a keen judge of human nature 
and lost no opportunity nor spared no pains in re- 
forming those who would reform. Once he had a 
pretty hard case to deal with. "Waste no time, 
swing him off quick," said Cleveland. "You 

needn't be in such a d d hurry about it," coolly 

retorted the condemned man. Cleveland, who was 
toddling along behind, was so pleased with the cool 
retort that he told the boys to let him go. The To- 
ry, touched with such sudden generosity, turned to 
Cleveland and said: "Well, old fellow, you've con- 
quered me; I'll ever fight on your side," and proved 
himself one of Cleveland's sturdy followers. 

On another occasion he met an old Whig who had 
been led astrav bv the Tories and addressed him in 



S2. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

this style: "Well Bob, I reckon yon are returning" 
from a Tory trip, are yoii not?'' "Yes, Colonel, 1 
am." "Well," continued the Colonel, "I expect 
when you become rested you will take another jaunt 
with them, eh?" "No Colonel, if I ever go with 
them again I'll give you leave to make a button of 
my head for a halter." "Well Bob, that shall be 
the bargain." So he gave Bob a stiff drink of grog, 
in accordance with the fashion of the times, and a 
hearty dinner, and started him off home rejoicing on 
his way and declaring that, after all, old Round 
About had a warmer heart and a kindlier way with 
him than any Tory leader he had ever met, and ever 
after Bob proved himself as true a Whig almost as 
the Colonel himself. 

Besides trying to put down Tory influence the 
Colonel endeavored to make good citizens as well. 
Eleven miles above Wilkesboro on the south bank < ^f 
the Yadkin lived one Bishop, one of a class who 
tried to shirk the responsibilities of the war, and 
was wanting in i:)atriotism and energy of character. 
At heart he was thought to be a Tory. Pa-^sing 
Bishop's on one of his excursions, Cleveland observ- 
ed that his corn, from neglect, presented a very sor- 
ry appearance. He called Bishop out and asked if 
he had been sick. He said he had not. "Have you 
been fighting for your country, then?" "No," said 
the neutral, "I have not been fighting on either 
side." "In times like these," remarked Cleveland, 
"men who are not fighting, and are able to work, 
must not be allowed to have their crops as foid tm 
yours." The indolent man had to "Thumb the 
Notch" and receive the lashes as a penalty for his 
negligence. It is not necessary to say that Bishop's* 
<*orn was, from that time on, in as good conditiori 
as any man's in the country. 



OF WILKES COUNTY. U8. 

His Last Mil it a nj Service. 

Cleveland was "all things to all people." His love 
for the American cause was iin bounded. His nu- 
merous friends loved and admired him for his bold 
and fearless simplicity, while his enemies hated him 
for the same reason that his friends loved liim. 

But the war was now rapidly drawing to a ch^sp. 
In the autumn of 1781, Colonel Cleveland performed 
his last military service — a three months' tour of 
duty on the waters of the Little Pedee. in the south- 
-eastern part of the State, under General Rutherford. 
At this time the British Colonel Craig was confined 
to Wilmington, while Fanning and other Tory lead- 
ers were yet scouring the country, and needed sucli 
a force as the mountaineers to successfully cope wilh 
them. Cleveland's men routed several of these scat- 
tered Tory detachments before returning home. 

Moves to South Carolina. 

At the close of the war Colonel Cleveland h^st his 
fine Round About plantation on the Yadkin by a 
better title, Avlien he turned his attention to the^ re- 
gion of the Tugalo, on the wester.) border of South 
Carolina. In 1784 he selected a plantation in the 
Tugalo valley and moved there tlie following year. 
Quite a number of his kinsmen followed liim and 
became his neighbors in the newly settled valley of 
the Tugalo. 

In 1785 the Cherokee Indians were y^t trouble- 
some. They stole some of Cleveland's stock and 
(•arried it to the Indian village. Cleveland buckh'd 
on his hunting knife and went in person to the In- 
dian town and told them unless ' his stock was 
promptly returned they would pay the penalty — tlie 
last one of them — with their lives. The Indians 
were greatly surprised at his enormous size, an<) 



84. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

judged that it would take a hundred warriors to cope 
with him single-handed. The stock was promptly 
restored. 

Hangs Another Horse Thief, 

Colonel Cleveland did not loose his hatred for the 
Tories in his new home. Henry Dinkins, a Tory of 
the Revolution, who had taken refuge among 
the Cherokees, became a notorious horse-thief. 
Cleveland learned of their approach in the Tugalo 
valley and he snatched up his rifle and waylaid their 
trail and captured Dinkins and two negroes associ- 
ated with him. Dinkins was promptly hung on the 
spot. So notorious was Dinkins' reputation for evil 
that the whole country was overjoyed at his sudden 
execution without waiting to consider whether or 
not the mode of his exit was in accordance with the 
niceties of the law. 

His Last Days and Death. 

Colonel Cleveland held positions of trust and hon- 
or in his new home, but he loved quiet home life 
best and spent most of his time about his planta- 
tion. He continued to increase in weight until he 
weighed the enormous sum of four hundred and fifty 
pounds. 

For several summers preceeding his death he suf- 
fered with dropsy in his lower limbs, and during the 
last year of his life his excessive fat considerably 
decreased, and he, at last died while sitting at 
breakfast, in October, 1806, in the sixty-ninth year 
of his age. His wife died about six years previous. 
He left two sons and a daughter, whose descendants 
are numerous and respectable. Our county man, 
Esq. R. M. Staley, is a great-grand-son of Colonel 
Cleveland. Wilkes county has no better citizen and 
no man a better neighbor than Esq. Staley. 



OF WILKES COU^JTY. 85. 

With hardly any education, and little improve- 
ments in after life, Colonel Cleveland, with a vigor- 
ous intellect, exerted a commanding influence 
among the frontier people ; and though despotic in 
his nature and severe on the Tories, his patriotic ac- 
tivity did much to preserve the Western portion of 
North Carolina from British and Tory ascendency. 
North Carolina deservedly commemorated his ser- 
vices by naming Cleveland county after him. 

The remains of this noble hero sleep in the family 
burial ground in the valley of the Tugalo. No mon- 
ument — no tombstone — no inscription marks his si- 
lent resting place. The spot is marked by several 
pines that have grown up since his interment — one 
-of them, it is said, shoots its tall spire from his 
grave. There he lies in a sister State with not even 
a grave-stone to mark his last resting place, where 
scattered bands of Cherokees may look upon the 
pine that rises out of his grave and wonder among 
themselves, ^'Is this the goal of ambition — tliis the 
<*limax of glory 'r' 

How strange are the ways of men ! 




86. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

THE FIRST WILL PROBATED. 

The first will probated in Wilkes county was pro- 
bated and recorded in the year 1778, at the Decem- 
ber term of the County Court. In the early history 
of the county wills were only probated during the 
sessions of the County Court and not before the 
Clerk at any time convenient as is now the case. 

This will, first on record in the county, starts oil' 
like this : 

''The Last Will and Testament of John Wither- 
spoon, dec'd. Dec. Term, 1778. 

"November the first, in the year of our Lord 
Christ, 1778. In the name of God, amen. I, John 
Witherspoon, and of Wilkes county, being weak in 
body but of sound memory, blessed be God, do this 
day and in the yei;r of our Lord make and publisli 
this my last will and testament in the manner fol- 
iowdng, that is to say first I appoint — " etc., etc. 

The subscribing witnesses are Thomas Harbin, 
Alexander Holton and Jno. Robison. 



GENERAL WILLIAM LENOIR. 

The subject of this sketch was one of the early 
pioneers of this section. He did much in building 
the county of Wilkes and the establishment of law 
and government in this section of the State. Tlie 
name of William Lenoir appears oftener in early 
records of our county than the name of any othei' 
person. His life, character and services are record- 
ed in such an able and familiar manner in an ex- 
tract from the Ealeigh Register, of June 22, 18J^9. 



OF Wn.KE8 COUNTY. S7. 

that we give the article here : 

Thi8 venerable patriot and soldier died at his resi- 
idence at Fort Defiance, in Wilkes county, on Mon- 
day, the 6th, of May, 1889, aged eighty-eight years. 
Perhaps no individual now remains in the State of 
North Carolina who bore a more distinguished part 
during our Revolutionary struggle, or who was more 
closely identified with the early history of our gov- 
ernment than the venerable man whose history and 
public services it is our purpose to sketch. 

General Lenoir was born in Brunswick county, 
Va., on the 20th of May, 1751, and was descended 
from poor but respectable French ancestry. He was 
the youngest of a family of ten children. When 
about eight years old his father removed to Tar Riv- 
er, near Tarboro, N. C, where he resided until his 
death which happened shortly after. The opportu- 
nities of obtaining even an ordinary English educa- 
tion at that day were extremely limited, and Gener- 
Lenoir received no other than such as his own per- 
sonal exertions permitted him to acquire after his 
father's death. When about 20 years of age he was 
married to i\nn Ballard, of Halifax, N. C. — a lady 
possessing in an eminent degree those domestic and 
heroic virtues which qualified her for sustaining the 
privations and hardships of a frontier life which it 
was her destiny afterwards to encounter. 

In March, 1775, General Lenoir removed with his 
family to the county of Wilkes (then a portion of 
Surry), and settled near the place where the village 
of Wilkesboro now stands. Previous to his leaving 
Halifax, however, he signed what was then familiar- 
ly called "The Association Paper," which contained 
a declaration of the sentiments of the people of the 
colonies in regard to the relations existing between 
them and the crown of Great Britian, and whicli 
their scattered condition rendered it necessarv t<> 



38. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

circulate for signatures, in order to ascertain the 
Avishes and determination of the people. Soon after 
his removal to Surry he was appointed a member of 
the Committee of Safety for that county and con- 
tinued to discharge his duties as such, and as clerk 
to the Committee until their authority was super- 
seded by the adoption of the Constitution of the 
State. On the commencement of hostilities with 
Great Britian, General Lenoir very early took a de- 
cided and active part. It is well known to all those 
acquainted with the history of the times that about 
the beginning of the war of the Revolution the 
Cherokee Indians were exceedingly annoying and 
troublesome to the white settlements in the Western 
part of North Carolina. The Whigs therefore in 
that section of the country were obliged at the very 
outset to be constantly on the alert — they were fre- 
quently called on to march at a moment's warning, 
in small detachments, in pursuit of marauding 
bands of Indians, in the hope of chastising them for 
depredations committed on the settlements — they 
were also compelled to keep up scouting and ranging 
parties, and to station guards at the most accessible 
passes in the mountains. In this service General 
Lenoir bore a conspicuous part, which was contin- 
ued until the celebrated expedition of Gen. Ruther- 
ford and Gen. Williamson in 1776, put an end to 
the difficulties with the Cherokees. In this expedi- 
tion General Lenoir served as a lieutenant under the 
distinguished Colonel Cleveland, who was then a 
a captain, and frequently has he been heard to re- 
count the many hardships and sufferings which they 
had to undergo. They were often entirely destitute 
of provisions — there was not a tent of any kind in 
the whole army — very few blankets and those only 
such as could be spared from their houses for th^' 
occasion; and their clothing consisted principally of 



OF WILKES COUNTYi 6\f. 

rude cloth made from hemp, tow and wild nettle 
bark — and as a sample of the uniform worn by the 
General officers, it may be mentioned that General 
Rutherford's consisted of a tow hunting shirt, dyed 
black and trimmed with white fringe. From the 
termination of this campaign until the one project- 
ed against the British and Tories under Major Fer- 
guson, Gen. Lenoir was almost constantly engaged 
in capturing and suppressing the Tories, who, at 
that time, were assuming great confidenee and ex- 
hibiting much boldness. Indeed, such was the char- 
acter of the times that the Whigs considered them- 
selves, their families and property in continual and 
imminent danger. No man ventured from his house 
without his rifle, and no one unless his character 
was well known, was permitted to travel without 
undergoing the strictest examination. Gen. Lenoir 
has frequently been heard to say that owing to his 
perilous situation he has often been compelled, on 
retiring at night, to place his rifle on one side of 
him in bed while his wife occupied the other. 

In the expedition to King's Mountain he held the 
position of captain in Col. Cleveland's regiment, but 
on ascertaining that it would be impossible for the 
footmen to reach the desired point in time, it was 
determined by a council of officers that all who had 
horses or could procure them should advance forth- 
with. 

Accordingly Gen. Lenoir and his company officers 
volunteered their services as privates, and proceeded 
with the horsemen by a severe forced march to the 
scene of action. In the brilliant achievement on 
King's Mountain he was wounded in the arm, and 
also in the side, though not severely — and a third 
ball passed through his hair just above where it was 
tied. He was also at the defeat of the celebrated 
Tory, Col. Pyles, near Haw River, and in this en- 



40. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

gagement had his horse shot and his sword broken. 
He also raised a company and marched toward Dan 
river, with the hope of joining General Greene, pre- 
vious to the battle of Guilford, but was unable to 
effect a junction in time. Many other services of a 
minor character were performed by him, which it 
would be tedious to enumerate. 

In the militia of the State he was also an active 
and efficient officer, having passed through different 
grades from that that of an Orderly Sergeant to a 
Major-General, in which latter office he served for 
about eighteen years. 

In a civil capacity also General Lenoir discharged 
many high and responsible duties. He was appoint- 
ed a Justice of the Peace by the convention which 
met to form the State Constitution, and was reap- 
pointed by the first General Assembly which met 
under its authority. He continued to discharge the 
duties of this office until his death, with the excep- 
tion of a temporary suspension of about two years, 
whilst he acted as Clerk of the County Court of 
Wilkes. It is therefore more than probable that at 
the time he died he was the oldest magistrate in the 
State, or perhaps in the United States. He also 
filled at different periods the various offices of Reg- 
ister, Surveyor, Commissioner of Affidavits, Chair- 
man of County Court, and Clerk of the Superior 
Court for the county of Wilkes. He was one of the 
original trustees of the University of N. C, and was 
the first president of the Board. He served many 
years in both branches of the State Legislature, em- 
bracing nearly the whole period of our early legisla- 
tive history, and during the last five years of his 
service in the Senate was unanimously chosen Speak- 
er of that body. It may also be remarked that he 
performed the duties of that important station with 
as much general satisfaction, i>robably, as was ever 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 41. 

given by the presiding officer of any deliberate as- 
sembly. He was for several years elected a member 
of the Council of State, and when convened, was 
chosen President of the Board. He was also a mem- 
ber of both the State Conventions which met for the 
purpose of considering the Constitution of the Uni- 
ted States ; and in the discussions of those bodies he 
took an active and distinguished part — insisting 
strenuously on the adoption of the amendments pro- 
posed to the Constitution, and guarding with great 
jealousy the rights of the States. Owing to the dif- 
ficulties which existed among the States in the 
adoption of the Federal Constitution, an opinion 
prevailed that another General Convention would be 
called to revise and amend it. The Convention of 
North Carolina, acting upon this supposition, pro- 
ceeded to elect five delegates to represent the State 
in the proposed General Convention, of which num- 
ber General Lenoir was one. It is also in honor of 
him that the respectable county of Lenoir bears its 
name. 

These, together with many other services of a mi- 
nor character, though important in themselves, or 
in furtherance of the due execution of the law, con- 
stitute the sum of that portion of the public bur- 
dens which have been borne by this venerable man, 
f jr many of which he declined to receive an y com- 
pensation. Those who knew Gen. Lenoir will read- 
ily concur in the opinion that it is questionable 
whether any man ever performed a public duty with 
a more punctilious regard to the promotion of the 
public welfare or in more strict accordance with the 
requirements of the authority under which he acted. 

For the last several years of his life he devoted 
much of his time to reading and reflection on public 
affairs, and manifested great concern and expressed 
much apprehension lest, from the signs of the times, 



42. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

our inestimable government, which cost so much 
blood and treasure, hardship and suflPering, was des- 
tined, at no distant period, to share the fate of the 
republics of other days. Indeed, so great were his 
fears on this subject that it was a source of real dis- 
quietude and unhappiness to him. 

In private life Gen. Lenoir was no less distin- 
guished for his moral worth and generous hospitali- 
ty than in public life for his unbending integrity, 
firmness and patriotism. His mansion was open at 
all times, not only to a large and extensive circle of 
friends and acquaintances, but to the stranger and 
traveler. Although he lived for many years upon a 
public highway and received and entertained all per- 
sons who chose to call upon him, he was never 
known in a single instance to make a charge or re- 
ceive compensation for accomodations thus furnish- 
ed. 

In his manners and habits of life he was plain and 
unostentatious. Steadily acting himself upon prin- 
ciples of temperance and frugality in all things, he 
endeavored both by example and precept to incul- 
cate similar principles upon others. To the poor he 
was kind and charitable, and by his will made lib- 
eral provisions for those of his own neighborhood. 
He had long enjoyed almost uninterrupted health 
which he was careful to preserve by moderate but 
almost constant exercise either on horseback or in 
his workshop, of which he was very fond. As evi- 
dence of his physical ability^, it may be mentioned 
that he attended the Superior Court uf Ashe county, 
<i distance of more than 50 miles from his lesideuce, 
traveling the whole distance on horseback, and 
('rossing the Blue Ridge, and also attended the court 
uf his own county, a distance of twenty-four miles, 
not more than three weeks before his death. During 
his last illness he suffered much pain, and often ex- 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 43, 

pressed a desire that the Supreme Disposer of all 
things would terminate his sufferings. He often 
said "Death had no terrors for him — he did not fear 
to die." His remains were interred in the family 
burying-ground, which occupies the spot where Fort 
Defiance was erected during the Revolutionarv war. 

S. F. P. 



ZEBULON BAIRD, GRANDFATHER OF 
ZEBULON B. VANCE. 

Zebulon Baird Vance's grandfather, Zebulon 
Baird, was a native of Wilkes county. It was after 
this Wilkes county ancestor that the noted General, 
Governor, Senator and Statesman was named. Not- 
withstanding the fact that he lived nearly a century 
ago and is very little known at this day, Zebulon 
Baird should be counted as one of the great men of 
Wilkes county, for the reason that he was the grand- 
father of the most beloved man that ever lived in 
North Carolina. 




44. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

FIRST CHURCH IN THE COUNTY. 

Surry county was formed in 1770 from Rowan 
county, which, until this date, comprehended a large 
portion of Western North Carolina from beyond the 
Yadkin to the Mississippi river, including all the 
upper valley of the Yadkin to the Virginia line. In 
1775 Surry was a frontier county. The Mulberry 
Field Meeting House was the only church in the en- 
tire county. This church, or meeting house as it 
was called, was situated where the town of Wilkes- 
boro now stands. Some of our oldest citizens think 
this church stood about where the Chronicle build- 
ing now stands, or probably a few yards further 
south. It was a Baptist church and the first to be 
built in this section of the country. 

It reqiiired no little zeal and Christian energy to 
prompt our early settlers to expose themselves to 
great danger and hardship to come to this church, 
traveling scores of miles through dense forests and 
jungles and over the rudest kind of roads, knowing 
that an attack of the treacherous Indians to take 
their lives was probable at any moment. But it was 
a gracious privilege to those sturdy Christians to 
be permitted to worship God according to their own 
will and as their own consciences directed, even 
though they did so at the peril of their lives. They 
knew what it was to be deprived of that privilege 
by tyrannical rulers and laws, and from such oppres- 
sions they had fled to this country and erected the 
Mulberry Field Meeting House, where they might 
worship when and in whatever manner they saw fit. 
The Holy Spirit of Almighty God must have direct- 
ed them and stayed the tomahawk and arrow in the 
hands of the treacherous enemy. I admire sucli 
faith and zeal, and it is no wonder that these faith- 



OF wn.KES COUNTY. 45. 

ful, sturdy, energetic pioneers should build up a 
s^ection where tyranny cannot reign and tyrants can 
not live. We cannot too much appreciate the per- 
severance and patriotism of our ancestors who came 
to Wilkes to build homes and plant civilization for 
us. 



EARLY SCHOOLS, 



Until 1889 there were no public schools in North 
Carolina^ and for several years after that date the 
system of public schools did not reach all the people 
in all sections of the state. In the early history of 
the county the opportunity of obtaining an educa- 
tion was scant. There were only two or more pri- 
vate schools^ with school houses made of logs, sticks 
and mud, scattered about over the county. 

The following account of some of our early schools 
is taken from the Report on Education by the State 
Superintendent of Public Instruction for 1898 : 

"Incorporated Schools — Philomathian Academy, 
chartered 1804; Wilkesboro Academy, chartered 
1810, and again in 1819. 

"At a very early period in this century there was 
a notable 'Grammar School,' with John Harrison as 
principal. It was described as 'ten miles below the 
court house.' Latin and Clreek were offered. The 
tuition was $10 for ten months, and board could be 
had at $25 per year. 

*'The only teacher of the Wilkesboro Academy 
whose name I have been able to recover is that of 
Rev. Peter McMillan, whose tuition was fifty per 
cent, higher than Mr. Harrison's, ami the board 
from 75 to 100 per cent, higher." 



46. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

*'T0 THUMB THE NOTCH." 

Revolutionary times were indeed trying to the 
settlers along the frontier. Both Indians and Tories 
gave much Trouble. The way in which punishment 
was inflicted in those days was severe and effective. 
The following account of the punishment of Shade 
Laws will give the reader some idea of the character 
of those times : 

"The depredations of the Tories were so frequent 
and their conduct so savage that summary punish- 
ment was demanded by the exigencies of the times. 
This Cleveland inflicted without ceremony. General 
Lenoir relates a circumstance that occurred at the 
Mulberry Meeting House. While there on some 
public occasion, the rumor was that mischief was 
going on by the Tories. Lenoir went to his horse 
tied at some distance from the house, and as he ap- 
proached a man ran off from the opposite side of the 
horse. Lenoir hailed him but he did not stop; he 
pursued him and found that he had stolen one of 
the stirrups off his saddle. He carried the pilferer 
to Colonel Cleveland, who ordered him to place his 
two thumbs in a notch for that purpose in an arbor 
fork and hold them there while he ordered him to 
receive fifteen lashes. This was his peculiar manner 
of inflicting the law and gave origen to the phrase 
"to thumb the notch." The punishment on the of- 
fender above named was well inflicted by Captain 
John Beverly, whose ardor did not stop at the order- 
ed number. After the fifteen had been given, Colo- 
nel Herndon ordered him to stop, but Beverly con- 
tinued to whip the wincing culprit. Colonel Hern- 
don drew his sword and struck Beverly. Captain 
Beverly drew also, and they had a tilt which, but 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 47. 

The tree in which the notches were cut was still 
standing in 1850. Wheeler, in his history of North 
Carolina, says, "There is a tree in Wilkes county 
which bears the name of 'Shade Laws Oak' on which 
the notches thumbed by said Laws under the sen- 
tence of Cleveland, are distinctly visible." The tree 
stood about half a mile west of the village of Mora- 
vian Falls on the top of the hill just above the old 
Shiloh church. The tree was cut down several years 
ago by some one who, probably from personal rea- 
sons, wanted the tree destroyed. The stump is still 
visible. 



DANIEL BOONE. 

Daniel Boone was not a native of Wilkes, but it 
was here he spent a portion of his life, and here it 
was that he was trained in our forests for the life he 
afterwards lived. His name is loved and cherished 
all oVer the country but nowhere more than in 
Wilkes county. His history is a part of the county^s, 
and it would be an injustice not to give a sketch of. 
this pioneer in this book. The sketch following is 
from the pen of John H. Wheeler and is the best 
short sketch of Boone I have ever seen : 

Daniel Boone was born in 1746, in Bucks county, 
Pennsylvania, near Bristol, about twenty miles from 
Philadelphia. When he was but a child, his father 
emigrated to North Carolina, and settled in one of 
the valleys of the Yadkin. Here Boone was reared 
and here he married Miss Bryan. 

In May, 1769, Boone informs us himself, "accom- 
panied by John Findley, John Stuart, Joseph Hol- 
den, James Monay and William Cool," Ipft his 
home and quiet joys for the "dark and bloody 



48. HISTOKTCAL SKETCHED 

ground'^ of Kentucky, then inhabited only by wild 
animals and savages. But in the boundless forests 
he seemed to be in his appropriate sphere. Here he 
pursued the deer, buffalo and wild beasts. After a 
hard day's hunt, as Boone and Stuart were return- 
ing to their camp, they were seized by a horde of 
savages who made them prisoners : that night they 
escaped, but what was their surprise when they came 
to their camp they found their comrades were gone, 
either prisoners or murdered, for the camp was de- 
serted. But the spirit of Boone knew no despair. 
He called all his resources into action, hus- 
banded his game and amunition, and prepared to 
return to North Carolina. At this time Boone's 
brother, fired by the same ardor for wild excitement, 
came out to their camp with one companion. This 
infused fresh joys and new hopes. But soon after 
Stuart fell in a foray with the Indians, no persua- 
sions could induce their companion to remain, and 
he left Boone and his brother alone in the vast wil- 
derness. They erected a house to protect them, and 
supplied plentifully with game, they passed the 
winter in comfort. But their amunition and salt 
becoming scant, the brother of Boone returned for a 
supply, and Daniel Boone was left alone in the wild 
forests of Kentucky. This voluntary exile was not 
unpleasant to his temper. In his journal he assures 
us that his mind was filled with admiration of the 
boundless beauties of nature. The magnificent for- 
est was clothing itself in the rich attire of spring, 
the gorgeous flowers were unfolding their glories to 
his eye alone, the wild deer and buffalo were not 
fearful of his presence. 

He continued in these solitary quarters until the 
27th of July, when his brother returned loaded with 
amunition and salt, to them more precious than the 
mines of Cvilifornia. They made an expedition to 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 49. 

the Cumberland river, naming the rivers they pass- 
ed, and making such observations as might be of fu- 
ture use. 

In March, 1771, they returned to North Carolina. 
He was so charmed with the rich soil, the bountiful 
productions of nature, and the abundant game that 
he sold his farm on the Yadkin, and by" his represen- 
tations, five families and his own set out for their 
return to Kentucky, on the 25th of September, 1778 ; 
as they passed Powell's valley, then one hundred and 
fifty miles from the settled parts of Virginia, forty 
hardy sons of the forest joined them. They pursued 
their journey until the 10th of October, when they 
were furiously attacked by a large body of Indians. 
By their skill, unflinching courage and resolution, 
the superior force of the savages was beaten off, but 
Boone's party lost six men killed and one wounded. 
Among the killed was Boone's oldest son, a youth 
of much promise and daring. 

This repulse forced them to retreat to the settle- 
ment on Clinch river. Here he remained with his 
family until the (5th of June, 1774, when the Gov- 
ernor of Virginia (Dunmore) engaged him and an 
adventurerby the name of Starer to conduct a party 
of surveyors to the fiills of the Ohio, near eight hun- 
dred miles ; this he performed on foot in sixty-two 
days. On his return Dunmore gave him the com- 
mand of the garrisons on the frontier, which he 
maintained during the war at this ptriod against 
the Shawnee Indians. 

In March, 1775, he attended, at the request ^ of 
Judge Richard Henderson, a council of the Chero- 
kees, by which they ceded their lands south of the 
Kentucky river. 

In April he erected a fort at the spot where the 
town of Boonesboro now stands. The Indians were 
verv much dissatisfiid at the erection of this fort. 



50. HISTOKTCAL SKETCHES 

After it was finished he returned in June for his 
family on Clinch river. Mrs. Boone and her daugh- 
ter were the first white women that ever stood on the 
banks of the Kentucky river. 

In December the Indians made a furious assault 
on this fort, by which Boone lost one man killed 
and another wounded ; but the Indians were repulsed 
with great slaughter. This defeat was so severe that 
the Indians treacherously appeared reconciled and 
seemed to give up all ideas of assaulting the fort or 
molesting the whites. This caused the inhabitants 
of the fort to be less guarded, and they, made fre- 
quent visits and excursions into the forests around. 
On the 14th of July, 1776 — -just seven months from 
their last attack — .is three young ladies, two daugh- 
ters of Colonel Caloway and the third of Colonel 
Boone, were leisurely strolling in the woods they 
were pursued by the Indians and caught before they 
could reach the gates of the fort. At this moment 
Boone was off hunting, but when he returned, with- 
out any aid, he followed alone the tracks of the In- 
dians. He knew that if he waited to collect a force 
the cunning robbers would be entirely beyond pur- 
suit. With a sagacity peculiar to hunters, he fol- 
lowed their trail without the least deviation, while 
the girls had the presence of mind to snap off twigs 
from time to time as they passed through the shrub- 
bery in their route. At last he came in sight of 
them, and by the aid of his unerring rifle, killed 
two of the Indians and recovered the young ladies 
and reached the fort in safety. * * * 

The crafty foe now made open war. On the 15tli 
of April, 1777, the united tribes made an attack on 
the fort, but it was unsuccessful. 

In July twenty-live men arrived from North Caro- 
lina, and in August Captani Bowman, with one 
hundred myn, arrived from Virginia. By this pow- 



OF Wn.KES COtTNTY. 51. 

•erful reinforcement they no longer dreaded the 
savages, but sallied out and made attacks on the 
Indians and drove them from the vacinity. 

On the first of January, 1778, Colonel Boone with 
thirty men commenced making salt for the first 
time in that region at the Blue Licks, on Licking 
river; and he made enough of this essential of life 
for all the civilized inhabitants of the infant com- 
munity. 

On the 7th of February, as Colonel Boone was 
hunting alone, he was surprised by one hundred In- 
dians and two Frenchmen. They t<x)k him prisoner. 
He learned then that a furious attack was to be 
made by a strong force on Boonesboro. He capitu- 
lated for the fort, knowing its weak state, as it had 
only twenty-seven men, the rest had gone with salt 
into the settlements in Virginia. 

The Indians, according to their treaty, carried 
their prisoners to old Chili Cothe, the principal 
town of the Miami, where they arrived on the 18th 
of Feb. and according to their terms, the Indians 
used him kindly. 

In March they carried Boone to Detroit to offer 
him for ransom to the Governor ; but on the route 
the Indians became so much attached to him that 
they refused to part with him ; and after leaving at 
Detroit the other prisoners, they returned with 
Boone to Chili Cothe. He was adopted as one of 
the tribe and pretended to be very fond of his new 
father and mother, and take great interest in their 
sports and hunting. His plan of escape was hurried 
by an alarming circumstance; while meditating up- 
on it he was astonished to see an assemblage of four 
hundred warriors at Chili -Cothe. An attack on 
Boonesboro was planned. On the 16th of 'June he 
escaped and reached Boonesboro on the 20th a dis- 
tance of one hundred and sixty miles, during which 



52. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

he eat but one meal. He found the fort in bad con- 
dition, and set all hands about to repair it. The In- 
dians, finding that he had escaped, postponed the 
attack. 

On the 1st of August, with nineteen men, Boone 
sets out to attack an Indian town called Paint Creek, 
on the Sciota. Within four miles of the fort they 
met forty Indians on their way to attack them. A 
desperate fight ensues, in which Boone conquered, 
without the loss of a man. 

On the 8th of August the largest force that ever 
appeared before Boonesboro orders it to surrender. 
The assailants were four hundred and forty-four In- 
dians and eleven Frenchmen, commanded by Cap- 
tain Duquesne. Boone requests a parley of three 
days during which he made every preparation for an 
active and vigorous defense. 

On the 9th Boone informs the French commander 
that "he would defend the fort as long as a man 
could raise a rifle." 

The wily Frenchman, knowing the prowess of his 
opponent, seeks to effect by stratagem what he 
dares not attempt by arms. A treaty is agreed to. 
Boone with the required number go forth to sign the 
document. He is informed, after signing, that it 
was an Indian custom from time immemorial, for 
two Indians to shake the hands of one white man. 
This he reluctantly consented to, and the moment 
the savages took hold of each white man they en- 
deavored to hold him fast. Boone feels the sinewy 
grasp of two athletic Indians, and his companions 
are betrayed into a like perilous condition. Now 
arose the mighty struggle for liberty and for life. 

"Now gallant Boone! now hold th.y own, 
No maiden arm is round thee thrown; 
That desperate grasp thy frame wouhl feel. 
Through bars of brass and triple steel." 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 53. 

Fortune favors at this moment of ])''iil iiprg'Ulant 
son; ^he knife of Boone finds a bloody nliPaOi in one 
of his opponents ; the other is thrown down, and 
Boone and his men esca])e to the fort. 

His name can never die. The memory of this 
chivalric exploit, and the name of Boone will live 
as long as the Kentucky river rolls its troubled trib- 
ute to the "Great Father of Waters;" and when the 
marble in our National Capitol,* which commemo- 
rates this deed, shall have crumbled to its original 
elements. 

The Indians, after an unsuccessful attack, raised 
the seige, after a loss of several killed and wounded. 

During the absence of Colonel Boone in captivity 
among tha Shawnees, his wife, thinking her husband 
was killed, returned with her family to her father's, 
on the Yadkin, in North Carolina. Boone came to 
North Carolina after them. 

He returned with them in about two years to 
Boonesboro, during which time many battles had 
been lost and won. 

As he and his brother were returning from the 
Salt Licks, they were attacked by the Indians ; his 
brother was killed by a shot from the Indians. 
Boone only escaped by rapid flight, killing the dog 
the Indians had sent on his trail. 

Such was the life Boone led until the defeat of t\w 
Indians by Wayne (1792) introduced peace and 
quiet in this dark and dangerous country. 

Between this time and the time (1792) the new 
territory came into the Union, Virginia had enacted 
so many laws, which Boone in the simplicity of his 
nature had failed to comply with, or his business 



*In the rotunda at VVashinjrton, in sciilptnre, over tl.e 
door as you enter the House of Bet'iesentalives, is this 
.scene, by an eminent sculptor. 



54. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

was done so loosely, that the very land he had 
bought and paid for, in the sacrifices of himself and 
the blood of his son and his brother was wrested 
from him. How sad a commentary upon human 
nature. How mournfully true the Latin adage, 
homo homini lupus (man is a wolf to man). 

In 1798 he shoulders his rifle and goes to the 
wilds of Missouri. Here was a country as wild and 
unclaimed as his heart desired. The republic was 
that of the forest, the rifle and the hunter ; and 
Boone was commander-in-chief. He never sighed 
for what was lost. He said Kentucky was too 
crowded, he wanted more elbow-room. Here he 
lived until 1818, when he lost his wife ; the faithful 
companion of all his trials and troubles exchanged 
this for a brighter world. This was the severest 
blow Boone ever received. He left Missouri and 
came to his son. Major Nathan Boone, where he liv- 
ed, employing his leisure with his favorite rifle and 
trapping beavers, until 1818 when he calmly and re- 
signedly breathed his last, in the eighty-fourth year 
of his age, surrounded by affection and love. It wa» 
stated in the papers at the time of his death that he 
was found dead at a stand, watching for a deer, with 
his rifle sprung, and raised ready to fire. In the In- 
dian idea he had gone to the hunting ground of the 
warrior above, where his spirit would be happy 
when the stars would cease to give their light. 

The Character of Boone is so peculiar that it marks 
the age in which he lived; and his name has been 
celebrated in the verses of the immortal Byron : 

of all men 

Who pass for in life and death most lucky. 
Of the great names which in our faces stare. 
Is Daniel Boone, hackwoodsman of Kentucky. 

Crime came not near him — she is not the child 
Of solitude. Health shrank not from him, for 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 55. 

Her home is in the rarely trodden wild. 

—Bon Juan, Canto VII, L VI. 

And tall and strong and swift on foot were they, 
Beyond the dwarfing city's pale abortions, 

Because their thoughts had never been the prey 

Of care or gain; the green woods were their portion; 

No sinking spiritM told them they grew gray, 

No fashions made them apes of her distortions: 

Simple they were, not savage; and their rifles. 

Though very true, were not yet used for trifles. 

Motion was their days, rest in their slumbers, 

And cheerfulness the handmaid of their toils; 

Nor yet too many, nor too few their numbers; 

Corruption could not make their hearts her soil: 

The lash which stings, the splendor which encumbers, 
With the free foresters divide no spoil; 

Serene, not sullen, even the solitudes 

Of this unsighing people of the woods. 

In North Carolina was Boone reared. Here his 
youthful days were spent ; and here that bold spirit 
was trained, which so fearlessly encountered the per- 
ils through which he passed in after life. His fame 
is a part of her property, and she has inscribed his 
name on a town (Boone) in the region where his 
youth was spent. 

I am indebted to a sketch in the National Portrait 
Gallery, by W. A. C, for the leading facts and 
dates in the life of Boone. 



It was on a farm near Hoi man's ford that Boone's 
early life was spent. There are objects still existing 
in that locality which were associated with him in 
his hunting expeditions and travels. There are trees 
standing to this day bearing marks which indicate 
that at or near the spot Daniel Boone killed a bear. 
Boone's Gap in the Brushy mountains, near Boomer, 
is so called because it was was in Boone's route a- 
cross the mountain on his hunting expeditions. A 
short distance from this gap, on a tributary of War- 



56. HTSTOIMCAL SKETCHES 

rior creek, is n beautifal waterfall which owes its 
name — Boone's Falls — -to this great hunter. 



KING'S MOUNTAIN. 



The battle of King's Mountain is very closely con- 
nected with the history of Wilkes county. Nearly, 
or probably more than, half the American soldiers 
engaged in this famous battle for the freedom of the 
American people were from Wilkes county, as her 
boundary lines were at that time. Wilkes furnished 
three distinguished leaders for this battle — Col. Ben- 
jamin Cleveland, Col. John Sevier and General 
Isaac Shelby. The forces assembled at Watauga, in 
Wilkes county (how in Carter county, Tenn.) and 
decided to attack the British forces under Maj. Fer- 
guson. 

At that time the Western part of North Carolina 
was a stronghold for the Tories and many of the 
men in the British ranks at King's Mountain were 
Tories. 

Following is a circular letter issued by Major Fer- 
guson to the Tories just seven days before the battle 
of King's Mountain : 

Donard's Ford, Tryon Co., Oct. 1, 1780. 

Gentlemen : — Unless you wish to be cut up by an 
inundation of barbarians, who have begun by mur- 
dering the unarmed sou before, the aged father, and 
afterwards lopped olf his arms, and who by their 
shocking cruelty and irregularities, give the best 
proof of their cowardice and want of discipline ; T 
say if you wish to be pinioned, robbed and murder- 
ed", and to see your wives and daughters, in four 
days, abused by the dregs of mankind — in short, if 
vou wish or desire to live and bear the name of men, 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 57. 

grasp your arms in a moment and run to camp. 

The backwater men have crossed the mountain ; 
McDowell, Hampton, Shelby and Cleveland are at 
their head, so that you know what you will have to 
depend upon. If you choose to be p d upon for- 
ever and ever by a set of mongrels, say so at once, 
and let your women turn their backs upon you and 
look out for real men to protect them. 

Pat. Ferguson, Maj. 71st Regiment. 

Ferguson was expecting an attack from the Amer- 
icans and directed a letter to Lord Cornwalis at 
Charlotte, soliciting aid. At thi^ time Ferguson and 
his division of the army were at Gilbert town, from 
which place he began his march to King's Mountain. 
He camped the first night at Cownens (soon to be- 
come famous for the success of our arms over Tarle- 
ton, Jan. 17, 1781). On the 5th of October he 
crossed Broad river at Deep Ferry and marched six- 
teen miles ; on the 6th he marched up the ridge road , 
until he came to a right hand fcrk acr.s^ King's 
creek and through a gap towards Yorkville, about 
fourteen miles ; and on the summit of King's Moun- 
tain he encamped. Here he declared was "a place 
where God Almighty could not drive him from." 

About 8 o'clock on the 7th of October, 1789, after 
being in the saddle for thirty hours, without rest, 
and drenched by a heavy rain, the fearless Ameri- 
cans approached King's Mountain. 

This mountain is in Cleveland county, on the 
borders of North and South Carolina ; it extends 
East and West and on the summit is a plateau about 
five hundred yards long and sixty or seventy broad. 
On this summit was Ferguson posted. The Ameri- 
cans were divided into three wings. The right wing 
was under the command of McDowell, Sevier and 
Winston ; Campbell and Shelby commanded the cen- 
ter, while the left wing was under the command of 



i8. HlfffOKTCAL SKETCHES 

Cleveland and Williams. The plan of battle was to 
^surround the mountain and attack each side simiil- 
taneously. The center commenced the attack and 
marched lx)ldly up the mountain. The battle here 
was fierce, furious and bloody. The center gave way, 
but rallied, and reinforced by Campbell's regiment, 
returned to the charge. Towards the latter part of 
the action the enemy made a furious onset from the 
eastern summit and drove the Americans to the foot; 
there thev rallied and in close column return€>d to 
the attack, and in turn drove the enemy. They gain- 
ed the summit and drove the enemy before them to 
the western end, where Cleveland and Williams had 
been contending with another part of their line. 
Campbell now reached the summit and poured on 
the enemy a deadly fire. The brave Ferguson, like 
a lion at bay, turned on these new adversaries and 
advanced with fixed bayonet. They gave way for 
the moment, but rallied under their gallant leadere 
to the attack. '*The whole mountain was covered 
with smoak. and seemed to thunder." Attacked on 
all sides, the circle becoming less and less, Ferguson 
in a desperate move endeavored to brake through the 
American lines, and was shot dead in the attempt. 
This decided the day. The British flag was lowered, 
And a white flag raised for quarters. 

One hundred and fifty of the enemy, including 
their commander, lay dead on the field, 810 wound- 
ed and prisoners. 1500 stands of arms, and the 
American authority restored, were the fruits of this 
victory. 

This was the turning point of the fortunes of 
America. This decisive blow prostrated the British 
power for the time, vanquished the Tory influence, 
and encouraged the hopes of the patiots. 

Lord Cornwall is left Charlotte and fell back Uj 
Winnsboro, deeming any pr^)ximity to such fearless 



OF WTLKIJS COUNTY, 59. 

mBn unsafe for the main army, nor did he advance 
tintil reinforced by Oeiieral Leslie with troops from 
the north. 

The total loss on the American side was twenty- 
eight killed and sixty wounded. 



THE SIAMESE TWINS. 



The celebrated Siamese Twins, Chaner and Eng, 
after traveling over all the world and seeing the ad- 
vantages and disadvantages of every country, chose 
the quiet glens of Wilkes as the loveliest spot for re- 
tirement and repose. 

They were bom in May^ 1811, at Maklong, Siam, 
and died in Wilkes county, near Hays postoffice^ 
about the year 1880. 

In 1829 they left their country for America, and 
since they have traveled over the whole of this con- 
tinent, England, France and other countries, exci- 
ting the admiration of the crowd, and the investiga- 
tions of the scientific Sir Ashley Cooper, of London, 
Dr, Samuel L. Mitchell, of New York, and others, 
who have reported upon this singular phenomenon 
in the natural world. 

They were united together as one by an ensiforni 
cartilage from the side. The blood vessels and 
nerves of each communicated. There seemed to be 
a perfect sympathy, for when one was sick so was 
the other. They went to sleep at the same moment, 
and woke at the same. Both died on the same day, 
only a few moments intervening between their 
deaths. 

A time or two was ap])ointed to separate the twins 
but the scientific doctors decided that such an oper- 
ation would terminate their lives. 



60. 



HISTORICAL SKETCHES 



They were wealthy, well settled, and both happily 
married and had interesting families around them . 
They married twin sisters named Yates, sisters of 
Austin and Jesse Yates, late of this county. Ex- 
County Commissioner, Robert Yates, who lives near 
Boomer, is a nephew of the wives of the Siamese 
Twins. Several of their descendents yet live in Sur- 
ry county and they have adopted the name Bunker 
as their surname. The house now owned and occu- 
pied by Ambros Wiles was built by the Siamese 
Twins, and there they lived and died. 

They differed widely in appearance, character and 
strength. One was sober and patient; the other in- 
temperate and irritable. It is said that they fre- 
quently fell out — generally about their movements 
— whether they should or should not go somewhere — 
and sometimes fought like dogs. In 1870 Chang 
was stricken with paralysis from which he died a 
few years l^ter. In a short time — probably about 
80 minutes — Eng followed him to the great beyond. 
They were the most interesting persons that ever 
lived in the county. In the natural history of the 
world there is not another case like them. 




OF WILKES COUNTY. 61. 

THE SHOW FIGHT. 

Between the years 1855 and 18t)0, in Wilkesboro, 
occurred one of the niOvSt remarkable fights in the 
history of the county. Robinson's Show had pitch- 
ed their tents in the vale on the north side of Main 
street, ju«t op]>osite where the new Methodist church 
now stands. The show people had a stand where 
they sold candy, lemonade, etc. It was at this 
stand that tlie trouble arose. George Johnson went 
u':; to the stand to buy some candy ; the showman 
wanted to charge him about three times the usual 
l^rice of candy in the stores at that time, when final- 
ly Johnson told him to take the candy and go to 
h — ] with it. This insulted the showman who in 
turn insulted Johnson, who was something of a 
fighter, and he at once began the fight. The show- 
man's partners came to his aid, armed with sticks, 
singletrees and such other weapons as they could 
get their hands on. Johnson's friends came to his 
aid about as fast as the showmen to the aid of their 
comrade. A desperate battle followed. 

Among Johnson's friends who engaged in the 
fight may be mentioned the following: Ellis An- 
derson, Andy Porter, "Bill" Transou, Wesley Nich- 
olls, Peter Johnson, Jones Transou and others. 

Such weapons were used as were most convenient 
and several on each side were badly hurt, but no 
one killed. 

Sherifi' Staley was informed of the fight and he 
soon had the participators under arrest and under 
guard. After the showmen who had engaged in the 
fight had been arrested, a party who were absent 
wi^h the horses during the fight, came up. They 
were attacked by the Wilkes party, who by this 
time had procured sticks, axes and other deadly 



62. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

weapons, and were prepared to do some fatal execu- 
tion. The showmen told them they knew n :)thing 
of the trouble and were not concerned in it, but the 
enraged citizens were not disposed to hear them. 
About that time Sheriff Staley appeared on the 
scene and informed the citizens that the showmen 
who had engaged in the fight were under arrest ; 
then the citizens calmed down and another bloody 
fight was averted. 

The showmen under arrest were marched to the 
court house and a preliminary trial was held before 
Dr. R. F. Hackett, who was a Justice of the Peace 
at that time. The trial lasted until about midnight 
when the whole party was bound to court. The 
showmen did not want to go to jail and the jail was 
was not sufficient to hold them, so they were kept 
in the court house, under guard, until morning, 
when, after the showmen had paid him $500, Gen, 
James B. Gordon stood surety for their appearance 
at court. They never appeared and finally the case 
was dismissed upon payment of the cost by Gordon. 
The cost in the case amounted to about $180, so 
Gordon cleared about $870 in the transaction. 

After the ones engaged in the fight were arrested 
the show proceeded and a large crowd witnessed the 
exhibit. 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 63. 

JAMES HENRY SPAINHOUR. 

BY FRANK. B. HENDREN. 

James Henry Spainhour was born in Burke coun- 
ty in 1835, and came to Wilkes county in 1858. 
New Hope Academy, in Lewis Fork township, had 
just been completed and was in quest of of a princi- 
pal. Maj. Jas. H. Foote recommended Mr. Spain- 
hour to the position and he was elected. He re- 
mained in this position until the outbreaking of the 
war, when he enlisted in Company B., Capt. Stokes, 
which company was attached to the First Regiment 
N. C. Volunteers. Mr. Spainhour being a licensed 
minister of the Baptist church, was appointed Chap- 
lain of this Regiment in which capacity he served 
until his death at Fredericksburg, on the 17th day 
of October, 1861. 

It was under Prof. Spainhour's principalship, that 
New Hope Academy enjoyed its brief period of ascen- 
dency among the schools of this county and had its 
career not been cut short by the war it would doubt- 
less became one of tbe leading institutions in the 
western part of the State. It was located in what 
was justly considered at that time the most progress- 
ive community in the county. The Academy was 
burned during the war and after that unhappy strug- 
gle still-houses took its place and the community 
long suffered from their blighting influence. Re- 
cently, however, the Academy has been rebuilt and 
the community, which contains some of the best 
people in the county, is regaining some of its old 
time activity and progress. 

The late Maj. H. Bingham, as well as many of the 
leading citizens of this county of the older class, 
received their education at New H(>]3e Academy. 



64. HTSTORICAL SKETCHES 

COL, W, H. H. COWLES. 

[For the leading facts in this sketch the author fa 
indebted to Jerome Dowd's sketch of CoL Cowles in 
' ' Sketches of Prominent Living North Carolinians, ' ' 
and to the sketch by W. W. Barber, which appeared 
in The Wilkesboro Chronicle Jan. 8, 1902.] 

Colonel Cowles, the subject of this sketch, was 
born at Hamptonville, in Yadkin county, April 22, 
1840, and spent his youth in his father's store and 
on his farm. He attended the common schools and 
academies of his county. He was fond of outdoor 
exercise and delighted in hunting. 

In 1861 he volunteered as a private in a cavalry 
company being formed by T. N. Grumpier, but upon 
the organization of the company he was elected 
First Lieutenant. Much caution was used in select- 
ing the company ; every member was strong and sol- 
dierly. 

In the hitter part of 1861 Col. Cowles' company 
marched to Centerville, then the seat of war, where 
the First N. C. Cavalry became a part of the First 
Cavaliy Regiment of the Confederate army, and was 
connected with the army of Northern Virginia until 
the surrender, Cowles was promoted to Major and 
later to Colonel of his Regiment. His dashing bra- 
very and courage won the admiration of his superior 
officers so much that in the First Maryhmd raid ht- 
was put in commiiid of the extreme advance guard 
of the cavalry by Stewart. On return he was placed 
in command of the extreme rear guard. 

At AubuiTi, where Col. Thomas Rufiin fell, Cowles 
rallied tl^e men and continued the charge. At- 
Jirandy Btati <n he led the charge that drove the 
10th New York Cavalry out of line and to the rear. 
He fuihjWciJ them iii) f Ji: ses'eral aiiies toward Kol- 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 05, 

ly's Ford, capturing Maj. Forbes, Maj. Gregg's 
commissary and Wm. Buckly, private curresponclent 
of the New York Herald, and others, whom he suc- 
cessfully brought out, though at the end of the 
charge he was entirely within the enemy's lines. In 
the beginning of the charge, Preston Ham})ton, son 
of Wade Hampton, joined Cowles for a short dis- 
tance but his horse was shot from under him and 
when he had obtained another horse he found that 
his squadron had passed ahead and that Gregg's en- 
tire column was moving down the road in the direc- 
tion that Cowles had just gone. As Hampton could 
not rejoin his squadron, he returned to the Confed- 
erate lines and reported that Cowles was surely capt- 
ured. When Cowles attempted to retrace his steps 
he was met by a Confederate coming at full speed 
with the news that a large body of Federal cavalry 
were in the road a short distance off, coming in that 
direction. Cowles passed with his men and prison- 
ers through the field and across a deep stream where 
there was no ford; he crossed safely and just in time 
to witness the advance of General Gregg's column at 
the point in the road which Cowles had left. 

At the beginning of the battle of Mine Run Gen- 
eral Ewell was in need of a competent ofHcer to take 
command of the skirmish line in his front and re- 
quested General Stuart to suggest the man. Gener- 
al Stuart detailed Captain Cowles for the duty and 
directed him to take in addition to the cavalry he 
would find with General Ewell one hundred picked 
men, which he did, quickly joining General Early. 
He went to tlie front and established his skirmish 
line and next morning met the enemy's advance 
gallantly checking its movements every inch of the 
way to the Confederate's main lines. In this en- 
gagement he received his first wound by a minie ball 
through the body. His wound was thought to be 



60. inSTOKICAL SKETCHES 

fatal hut the following spring he rejoined his com- 
mand in time to take part in tiie first of that me- 
morable campaign of 1864 and was in command of 
the right wing of General Gordon's forces at Brook 
church near Richmond, where Gordon fell. He con- 
tinued in. active service until the 81st of March, 
18(35, when, in leading a desperate assault on the 
right of the enemy near Petersburg, and after his 
horse was shot leaving him on fo(3t and knee deep in 
water he was shot in the head. Those who saw him 
thought he was killed and he was left unconscious 
to fall into the hands of the enemy. He w^as taken 
to the hospital where he heard the news of the sur- 
render of Lee. It happened that he met there an 
officer of his own name and probably his kinsman, 
Maj. Cowles, of the Federal army, who promised him 
the best treatment and who allowed him and a num- 
ber of his friends to go home on parole, . Colonel 
Cowles took the boat for Norfolk under guard. At 
Norfolk he was imprisoned for a day, then he left 
for New Bern. He was badly treated on the vessel 
and he came near being tlirown overboard. At New 
Bern, by the aid of a friend, he managed to get 
across the Federal lines. He went to Raleigh, then 
to Salisbury with Thad Coleman. They reached 
Third creek in a private conveyance and attempted 
to walk the rest of the way to Statesville, but it was 
too much for men ^vho apparently were nearer their 
graves than their liomes. When witliin tiiree miles 
of Statesville, Col. Cowles offered a farmer $B.OO in 
greenback and i|5iK).00 in Confederate money to take 
them to Statesville, and after much persu ision pre- 
vailed upon the farnier to comply. Cowles finally 
reached Wiikesboro. 

At the close of the war he came home poor, and in 
addition he whs suffering intensely from the wounds 
received March 81st, 180^. As boou as health would 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 67. 

peTiiiH he began the study of law under Judge Pear- 
son, his room mate being Hon. Charles Price, of 
Salisbury, 

After obtaining license in 1868 he located in 
Wilkes boro and immediately entered iiito a lucre- 
tive and su<€essful law practice. This was during 
the dark days of North Carolina, and as he had 
stood by his State in time of peril and war so in the 
great political battles of 1868 and 1870 he did not 
shrink duty or responsibility, but entered actively 
into the campaigns and did good work for his party. 
In 1872 he was elected Reading Clerk of the Senate. 
In 1874 he was elected Solicitor of the 10th Judicial 
district, which oiBce he held till 1879, and was an 
able and fearless prosecuting officer. 

In 1882 he was nominated by the Democrats for 
the Legislature, and although he was defeated, he 
made a campaign that w^on a great reputation for 
him. 

In 1884 Colonel Cowles was nominated for Con- 
gress and was elected by a handsome majority. He 
entered upon his duties as Congressman March 4th, 
1885, the same day President Cleveland was first in- 
ducted into office. He was re-elected in 1886, 1888 
and 1890. and voluntarily withdrew in 1892 before 
any county conventions were held. 

He represented his district with fidelity and credit 
during his eight years in Congress, always glad to 
attend to any business for any of his constituents, 
and was noted in Washington for his interest in and 
fidelity to his constituents. 

As a compaigner he ranked among the best in the 
State, and during the four canvasses he made for 
Congress he made many able and intere^sting speeches. 

After his retirement from Congress lie devoted 
himself to farming and was one of the best farm- 
ers in the ccunty. 



68. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

Colonel Cowles was twice married, first in 1870 to 
Miss Cora Worth, of Ashe county. She died in 1877. 
By that marriage two children survive — Carrie Lizzie 
who married T. B. Finley and Cora who married J. 
A. Gaither, of Newton. In 1888 Col. Cowles mar- 
ried Miss Lura Bost, of Newton, who survives him 
with six children. 

On the 80th day of December, 1901, with scarcely 
any warning, death claimed him as a victim. He 
was taken with pneumonia on Saturday and died on 
the following Monday. He was buried in the 
Wilkesboro cemetery. 



REV. GEORGE W. GREENE. 

BY FRANK B. HENDREN. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Watauga 
county. He came to Wilkes and took charge of 
Moravian Falls Academy uj^on its completion about 
the year 1877, and remained there for about fifteen 
years. Under his principalship the school enjoyed 
a high degree of popularity, becoming the leading 
school in all this section. Many of the officials and 
leading business men of the county received their 
education under the tuition of Prof. Greene. It is 
to be doubted if any other man ever gave a greater 
impetus to the educational progress of the county. 
He is a ripe schollar and a man of unsullied honor. 
He is at present a missionary of the Baptist church 
to China. 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 69. 

DR. TYRE YORK. 

Dr. Tyre York, son of Mike York, was born at 
Rockford, Surry county, in 1886. He was educated 
in the common schools of his county. He studied 
medicine at the Charleston Medical College, from 
which institution he is a graduate. 

He was married to Eliza Crumpler, of Surry coun- 
ty, daughter of Thomas Crumpler and sister of the 
famous T.N. Crumpler. By this union were born 
three children — all girles. The oldest married Hil- 
liary Cockerham; the next married M. F. Bryan, 
and the the third married Benjamin Taylor, of Alle- 
ghany county. 

About 1869 Dr. York located in the Trap Hill sec- 
tion where he practiced his profession and tended 
his farm. When the Civil war broke out, he being a 
physician, was exempted from military service. He 
was very friendly to those who chose to conceal 
themselves in the mountains and caves rather than 
enter the army, and he would go to their dens to give 
them medical attention in time of affliction. Many 
a poor soul was kept out of the army by his certifi- 
cates of unsound health. 

Immediately after the war Dr. York sold his prop- 
erty at Trap Hill and started for the State of Arkan- 
sas to make his future home. He and his wife and 
children started on the long journey in a wagon. 
After many days of weary traveling they reached the 
Mississippi river. There they camped on the bank 
of the "Father of Waters." In the morning after 
their a*rrival Mrs. York began washing some of their 
clothes that had been soiled during the long journey 
and the Doctor started for a day's tour in Arkansas 
where they intended to make their future home. In 
the evening t^ ^ ^ctor returned; Mrs. York had 



70. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

finished her washing and the clothes were hanging 
out to dry. The Doctor had seen enough of Arkan- 
sas, and was satisfied that Wilkes was the best place 
to live, and without waiting for the clothes to dry, 
he pulled up his tent and started back to Wilkes. 

After he returned from his Arkansas trip he pur- 
chased a farm a mile and a half from Trap Hill and 
here he has lived ever since, except what time he 
was in the Legislature and Congress. 

York has always taken a lively interest in politics, 
and in 1870 he was elected tu the Legislature. He 
was again elected to the same position in 1887. He 
was elected to the State Senate in 1879 and also in 
1881. In 1884 he was the Republican candidate for 
Governor and made a brilliant campaign but was 
defeated by Alfred M. Scales, the Democratic candi- 
date. In 1882 he was elected to Congress as an in- 
dependent. In 1896 he was elected as Presidential 
Elect(»r for the 8th N. C. district. 

Dr. York is remarkable for his wit and he did not 
withhold his jokes in ■ his campaign speeches. He 
always attracted the crowd and his jokes, told in 
his own original and familiar way, ahvays brought 
"side-s])litting" laughter. Public speakers, and 
especially politicians, often reiterate his jokes, and 
it is only necessary to say that they are Doctor 
York's to assure the closest attention. 

After Dr. York was elected to Congress and was 
making arrangements to start to the National capi- 
tal he included among his vesture apr,irof kip boots 
made by a first class country boot and shoe maker. 
This is told to show the Doctor in his simplicity, 
representing his constituents as they were. 

Dr. York was the owner of a mule that was almost 
as celebrated as the Doctor himself. The mule was 
known as "General Jacks^sn." York rode "General 
Jackson" on his campaign tours, iv ^ "^ey were the 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 71. 

.subjects of much comment both among the people 
and in the newspapers. The newspapers sometimes 
had cartoons of Dr. York riding "General Jackson." 
It has been told that York rode "General Jackson" 
all the way to Washington to attend as a member of 
Congress, but I am informed that that statement is 
untrue. "General Jackson" died a few years ago 
and York has quit politics and is content to live 
quietly on his farm under the shadow of the tower- 
ing mountains round about his country home. 

He is surrounded by multitudes of friends who 
love him for his efforts in their behalf while a pub- 
lic official and for his professional services in times 
of affliction. 



MONTFORD STOKES. 



The subject of this sketch, and the first of the 
Stokes family that was afterwards to play an impor- 
tant part in the affairs of Wilkes county, was born 
on the 12th of March, 1702. He entered the Ameri- 
can army during the Revolutionary war and was 
taken prisoner near Norfolk in 1776, being then on- 
ly fourteen years of age, and was confined as a pris- 
oner of war for seven months on a British war ship. 

Montford Stokes was Clerk of the County Court 
of Rowan county for several years when that county 
embraced the territory of Wilkes and other counties 
in this section. 

He was also Clerk of the State Senate for a num- 
ber of years, where he was very popular. 

Probably Montford Stokes was the first and only 
man to refuse a seat in the United States Senate, 
He was elected to that position while he was Clerk, 
of the State Senate but refused to accept. In 1816 



72. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

he was again elected to fill the important position 
of United States Senator ; this time he accepted and 
served in that branch of the National Legislature 
until 1823, when he voluntarily retired. 

After his retirement from the United States Sen- 
ate Stokes wanted to lead the life of a private citi- 
zen on his Morne Rouge plantation (now known as 
the Gray farm), but the people again called him 
into public service and in 1826 elected him to the 
State Senate. In 1829 he was elected to the House 
of Commons, and also in 1880. 

In 1880 he was elected Governor of North Caroli- 
na, but resigned in 1881 to accept the appointment 
from President Jackson as Indian Agent in Arkan- 
sas, where he lived until his death in 1842 at Fort 
Gibson. 

On Dec. 17th, 1842, Hon. D. M. Barringer intro- 
duced the following resolutions in the House of Com- 
mons: 

"Whereas the House of Commons have heard 
with regret of the death of Ex-Governor Mont- 
ford Stokes, whose life has been connected with, 
for more than half a century, the history of 
North Carolina, and has occupied many distin- 
guished stations in her gift, therefore resolved 
unanimously — 

"That as a mark of respect to the memory of 
Montford Stokes, this House do now adjourn 
until Monday morning, ten o'clock." 
I am sorry that I am unable to give more infor- 
mation of the public life of this man, but it has 
been impossible to obtain further data. Governor 
Stokes was one of the great men of his time. From 
the account of his public services given in this short 
sketfh it will be seen that he felt the responsibility 
of his position as representative of the people. Gov. 
Stokes was one of the early settlers of Wilkes coun- 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 



78. 



ty. He married Rachel, daughter of Hugh Mont- 
gomery, one of the two heirs who inherited the Mo- 
ravian lands in Wilkes embracing nearly ten thous- 
and acres. By this union was born Montford Sidney 
Stokes on Oct. 6, 1810. 

Governor Stokes was very fond of card-playing, 
and while he was at Fort Gibson, after being absent 
from home for several year-j, his only son Sidney 
j)aid him a visit. Sidney called at the house where 
his father was staying and was informed that he was 
up stairs playing cards. Sidney went up to the 
room and found his father seated at the card table. 
Governor Stokes at once recognized his son but was 
so deeply absorbed in the game that he only said, 

Hello Sid, is that you? Have a seat ; 1*11 be 



through here in a few minutes." After the 
was ended he gave Sidne}^ a royal welcome. 



game 



.ac( 



74. HISTOKICAL SKETCHES 

C, C. PETTY (Col.), 

One of the smartest negroes of the 19th century- 
was a native of Wiikes county. That negro was 
Charles Calvin Petty. He was born in the year 
1850, about four miles east of Wilkesboro, and was 
the son of Jordan and Faniiie Petty. He was edu- 
cated at Biddle University and was a graduate of 
that institution. 

Early in life he associated himself with the M, E. 
Zion church. He began his career as a local preach- 
er at Charlotte, and displayed such talent and abil- 
ity that his denomination soon promoted him to 
Presiding Elder. About 1890, at Newbern, N. C, 
he was elected Bishop, in which capacity he served 
his church and race until his death in 1899. 

He was emigrant agent to California for about tt 
year, Vjefore he was elected Bishop ; with this excep- 
tion his life was spent in the service of his church. 



THE CLEVELAND OAK. 

The old oak tree that stands north of the court 
house and in front of the old I. T. Prevette resi- 
dence is a relic of Revolutionary times when Colonel 
Cleveland was engaged in supi)ressing the Tories, 
Several Tories were hung to this tree by Cleveland 
and his associates. Among the number was Captain 
Riddle and two other Tunes who had previously 
captured Cleveland at Old Fields and would have 
killed him, doubtless, had it not been for the time- 
ly rescue by his brother Captain Robert Cleveland. 
There were several other Tories hung to this tree. 
Coyle and Brown, two n(^torious horse thieves, were 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 75. 

hang there with the clothes-line they had stolen 
from Maj. Wilfong and converted into halters to 
lead away Wilfong's horses. 

It is not known where nor in what manner the 
remains of the Tories that were executed here were 
buried; but it is reasonable to suppose that they 
were not taken very far aw^ay and that no great 
])ains were taken to inter them very securely. Dr. 
F. H. Gilreath recently found a joint of the spinal 
column of a human being in the lot back of I. S. 
Call & Go's, store. It is thought that that was n 
part of the remains of son)e one of the Tories execu- 
ted by Cleveland, and doubtless the remains of ^ili 
those Tories are scattered in the same localitv. 



RUFUS A. SPAINHOUR, 

BY FRANK B. HENDREN^ 

RuFUS A, Spainhour was born in Burke county in 
1889 and came to this county first in 1859 and en- 
tered New Hope Academy. He remained here, part 
of the time as pupil and part of the time as an as- 
sistant to his brother, who was principal of the 
academj'-, until the commencement c»f the war when 
he together with his brother and se\eral of the pu- 
pils of the school enlisted in company B, First Reg- 
iment N. C. Troops. He served throughout the war. 
He was made Quarter Master of his regiment. 

Returning to his native county, Burke, after the 
war he engaged in teaching school for about two 
years, and again returned to Wilkes county and 
taught school at Oak Forest for about two years. 
He then bought out the late W, H. Reeves' mercan- 
tile business at that place and conducted it two 



70. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

years. He has been in the mercantile business ever 
since either at Moravian Falls or at Wilkesboro, and 
is one of the most successful merchants and business 
men in the county. Being one of the most public- 
spirited and liberal men in the county he has done 
as much for the material and educational upbuild- 
ing of the county as any man who hi»s ever lived in 
it. It was largely through his energy and influence 
that Moravian Falls Academy was built and main- 
tained through so many years of conspicuous useful- 
ness to this and many surrounding counties. He 
represented this county in the lower house of the 
General Assembly in 1880 and has held several, oth- 
er positions of trust and usefulness, being at pres- 
ent Chaiiinan of the County Board of Education. 



LOVERS' LEAP. 



About a mile west of Wilkesboro there is a preci- 
pice that overhangs the south side of the Yadkin 
river which is known as Lovers' Leap. Tradition 
has it that many years ago when there were but few 
white people in this country, a young Indian fell in 
love with a native Squaw and were engaged to be 
married. The father of the Indian girl refused to 
give her up, and she and her lover consented to end 
their lives by leaping from the cliff into the river, 
which they did. Ever since the place has been 
known as Lovers' Leap. 



OF WILKES COUNTY, 77. 

COURT HOUSES AND JAILS. 

Although it was decided by the committee ap- 
pointed by the General Assembly in 1777 that the 
court house should be located where the Mulberry 
Field Meeting House stood it was not until about 
1799 that the question was finally decided and a 
wooden court house built. From the formation of 
the county to that time, embracing a period of 
about twenty-two years, the regular courts were held 
at various places,. some times in houses and some 
times out in the open air under the trees. It is said 
that many times the courts were held near Brown's 
Ford, and at other times over near Fairplains and 
on the hill where the late John Finley lived. 

There was strong opposition to building the court 
house at the Mulberry Fields notwithstanding the 
State's committee had decided that it should be 
build there and Rachel Stokes and Rebecca Well- 
born had deeded to the county fifty acres for the 
site. The people across the Blue Ridge contended 
that the county seat should be located nearer the 
center of the county. Hamilton Horton had se- 
cured a charter for a turnpike from Holman's Ford 
to New river and the road was built ; a stage line 
was then put into operation from Guilford Court 
House to Knoxville, Tenn. Emigrants from the 
east came this way and many of them settled across 
the Blue Ridge about the Old Fields on New River, 
along the Watauga river and Beaver Dam creek. A 
considerable settlement had sprung up across the 
mountains which was protesting againt building the 
court house at Mulberry Fields. The settlements 
across the mountains continued to grow and the 
agitation about the location of the court house was 
not ended until Ashe county was formed and all the 
11 



78. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

territory across the Blue Ridge was given to the 
new county, embracing all of the present counties of 
Alleghany, Ashe and Watauga, and probably more. 

There is some dispute as to when the first court 
house was built and where it was located, but I think 
it safe to say that it was built about the year 1799 
and was located near where the Chronicle building 
now stands. The fifty acres of land — including the 
Mulberry Fields — given to the county for a court 
house site by Rachel Stokes and Rebecca Wellborn 
was divided into lots and sold, with the exception of 
the court house plot and two public lots, one at the 
old North spring and the other at the old South 
spring. The money accruing from the sale of the 
lots was used to erect the court house. The house 
was made of logs and fastened together with wooden 
pins. Part of the logs of the old court house were 
used in constructing Dr. W. C. Greene's residence, 
which is still standing. 

Between the years 1820 and ISW, in order to ac- 
comodate the rapidly increasing population, it was 
necessary to build a larger court house. Then was 
the old brick building — 35 x 45 feet^with the stone 
foundation built. Frank D. Hackett tells me that 
his father was appointed to superintend the con- 
struction of that house and he was placed under a 
bond of $10,000 for the faithful performance of his 
duty. It was one of the best court houses in the 
State at the time of its construction. This build- 
ing was torn down this year, 1902, and the new 
house now being constructed by L. W. Cooper & Co., 
of Charlotte, will be completed by Nov. 1st, of this 
year. 

There is much pathetic remembrance connected 
with the old court house that has just been torn 
down. Within its walls wives and mothers have 
heard the sentence of death passed upon their hus- 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 79. 

bands and sons. Within its walls have been tried 
those who had taken the lives of father or child. 
The ablest jurists in the State — such as Col. Folk, 
Armfield, Linney, Pearson, Glenn, Bower, and oth- 
ers — have made the old temple ring with their plead- 
ings for mercy and justice. And the politicians and 
statesmen — such as Settle, Linney, Pritchard, Ran- 
some and Vance — have cheered the multitudes and 
fired the patriotism and ambition of thousands by 
their oratory. This volumn is too small to give the 
history of this old building. Its walls have been 
pulled down but it will be many a day before it is 
forgotten. 

Wilkes county's first jail was built immediately 
after the county was formed and was located on the 
southwest corner of the present court house lot. 
The stocks, whipping post and pillery were near the 
jail. The first jail was a wooden structure and it is 
said that Colonel Cleveland kept Tory prisoners in 
it during the Revolutionary war. About the year 
1828 this jail was soJd and torn down and a part of 
the timber used in the building of the old Noah ho- 
tel. A new jail was built on the hill where Esq. R. 
M. Staley lives, and that jail remained until about 
1860, when the present jail was completed. 



hv.A 

e/ 



80. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

HARRY HOLLAND. 

Who has not read the story of the Indian in the 
hog skin during the Revolutionary war? An Indian 
had disguised himself in this way and had been de- 
ceiving the pickets of the patriot army and when 
they got within range of the ficticious hog he would 
shoot them down. Harry Holland, being a soldier 
in the patriot army, was on picket duty and discov- 
ered what he at first thought was a large hog. After 
watching the supposed hog for v short time he 
noticed that it had actions peculiar for a hog, and 
instead of being frightened away was coming nearer 
him. Holland suspicioned that it might be a false 
hog and he shot and killed it, and lo, it proved to 
be an Indian in a hog skin, with rifle cocked ready 
to shoot the patriot soldier. 

Hari*y Holland was a native of Wilkes county ; 
was born and raised near Millers Creek, and was 
buried on the W. B. Owings plantation. After the 
war was over and our independence was won, and 
the soldiers had returned home, Holland would take 
great delight in telling this story, and probably 
there are people yet alive who have heard him tell 
it. 



bn 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 81. 

AGRICULTURAL POSSIBILITIES. 

At this time agriculture is not regarded as a very 
profitable industry in Wilkes, but the fault is in the 
people and not in the natural resources. There is 
not a section in the world of equal area that supass- 
es Wilkes county in agricultural possibilities. And 
in a few years when the people shall have learned 
the truth of this statement Wilkes will be one of 
the finest agricultural counties in the State. Our 
climate is so diversified that we can grow the sugar 
beet in one end of the county and cotton in the 
other. In fact, almost anything grown in a tem- 
perate climate may be found in Wilkes. 

The red clay soil so abundant in the county is the 
richest land to be found. There are thousands of 
acres of this kind of land that has been turned out 
as worthless. This land will all be reclaimed and 
will make old Wilkes county rich. It is not the 
purpose of this book to tell how that can be done, 
but the State Department of Agricalture will cheer- 
fully give any information you may desire along 
this line, or any other item discussed in this chap- 
ter. 

Several years ago stock raising was an important 
industry in this county but it has been neglected 
until there is not a thousand dollars' worth of stock 
exported in a whole year. Before the Civil war the 
stock raisers of Wilkes drove their cattle on foot to 
Philadelphia and other northern markets. Now a 
market is at the door, but the cattle are not here. 
This condition will not always exist. The broad 
valley of the Yadkin will one of these days be the 
best stock growing regions in the world. This is 
rather premature history but I varily believe it it? 
true, nevertheless. 



82. HISTOEICAL SKETCHES 

One of the most important branches of agricul- 
tural industry is that of fruit raising. Wilke& 
county is situated in what is known as the isother- 
mal belt and is the best fruit-growing section in the 
world. The Blue Ridge on the north-west rising to 
the hight of about 4,500 feet above the sea level 
forms a wall to protect us from the cold north-west 
winds. On the south are the Brushy mountains, 
about 2000 feet above the sea level. Many 3^ears 
ago it was discovered that orchards planted in the 
elevated coves and on the mountain sides along the 
Blue Ridge and Brushies were very seldom damaged 
by frost in the spring, and that the fruit was not 
subject to the attacks of harmful insects abounding 
in the valleys and that the fruit attained a perfec- 
tion in shape, color and flavor not known in other 
localities. For the last few years the quality of fruit 
raised in this section has attracted the attention of 
the whole country, and parties from New York and 
other great fruit markets have come to buy our fruit 
and investigate the orchards, and they have pro- 
nounced this the finest fruit-growing section in the 
world. 

It is not my purpose to establish a "scientific 
theory" in regard to this state of things but it is a 
fact, proven by scientific investigation and estab- 
lished by abundant testimony that, by reason of the 
nocturnal radiation of heat absorbed during the 
day, the stratum of air in the bottom of a valley 
after nightfall is colder than the air some distance 
above the surface. Here this condition is intensi- 
fied by the greater amount of heated air and being 
surrounded by mountain walls leaving no avinue by 
w^hich the heated air may escape, thus it gradually 
xises and escapes through the gaps of mountains. I 
quote the following paragraph from the Handbook 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 83. 

of North Carolina, issue by the Dei^artment of Ag- 
riculture: 

"The fact remains that within the limits of these 
frost belts fruit never fails, and at the hight of 1500 
to 2000 feet (hoar) frosts never fall. Such locali- 
ties are found . . . along the face of the Brushy 
Mountains in Caldwell, Alexander and Wilkes. In 
the future this phenominal section must become of 
inestimable value, for nowhere is there such certain 
assurance of the security and maturity of peaches 
and other tender fruit crops, or of the grape; to the 
successful cultivation of the grape the soil and the 
general conditions of the climate offer numerous in- 
ducements." 

There is a large portion of soil in the county that 
is especially adapted to tobacco. At the World's 
Centenial Exposition at Philadelphia several years 
ago tobacco raised near Boomer, this county, was 
awarded the first prize. Tobacco raising could be 
made an important industry, and is an excellent 
crop to put in rotation with wheat, corn and clover. 

Another industry that might be menti(>ned ds the 
cultivation of Genseng or Sang. The roots of this 
plant sell for fabulous prices, as the plant has been 
almost extinguished. Wilkes is the natural home 
of this plant and it will grow luxuriantly if it can 
be protected from thieves. The United States De- 
partment of Agriculture has sent out a bulletin on 
Sang culture, and any one contemplating trying to 
raise this plant should write to the Secretary of Ag- 
riculture, Washington, D. C, and ask for a copy. 
It's free. 

Sheep raising could be made a profitable branch 
of agricultural industry. Before the stock law was 
enacted nearly overy farmer had a herd of scrub 
isheep running * 'outside" on mountains and hills. 



84. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

These herds of scrub sheep paid better than any- 
thing else the farmer raised considering the cost and 
Jabor. The wool furnished the whole family in 
winter clothing and lots of wool to sell to the facto- 
ries besides, and the sheep still left for mutton or 
market. When the stock law was enacted the peo- 
ple thought that since their sheep could not run at 
large their sheep raising industry was destroyed, so 
they sold their sheep and quit the business. That 
was a very foolish step indeed. Nearly every farm 
in the county has some land that is too rough to 
plow that would make excellent pasturage for a 
herd of sheep. Suppose you fence in such a scope 
of land, say 25 acres, and put in it twenty-five the 
best improved stock of sheep. Each year you can 
clip $75 worth of wool and you will have the in- 
crease of the herd besides. This is simple logic and 
the people wont be long in catching the idea. 

When all the agricultural advantages of Wilkes 
county are considered it is hard to find a county 
that will compare with it. We can raise almost 
anything that is grown in a temperate climate, live 
* 'under our own vine and fig tree," live sumptuously 
from the products of the plantation, and besides 
sell a surplus each year. We have the purest free- 
stone water and the purest air in the world and the 
healthfulness of our climate is not surpassed. After 
considering the blessings the Creator has so lavishly 
spread over our county why wall our young men 
leave the old "State of Wilkes" and seek better 
chances elsewhere? There can be but one answer to 
that question : they lack information about the re- 
sources of their own county. 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 85. 

FORT HAMBY. 

In the spring of 1865 about the time of tlie sur- 
render of General Lee and immediately following, 
there was a band of desperadoes under the leadership 
of a man named Wade, a deserter of the Yankee ar- 
my, who made headquarters at Fort Hamby. Fort 
Hamby was an old fashioned residence built of logs ; 
there were two buildings, the larger one was two 
stories high and was the one used as the fort. The 
other building was about thirty feet from the main 
building, only one story high and w^as used as the 
kitchen. These buildings were on the north side of 
the Yadkin river near the mouth of Lewis Fork, 
about eight miles west of Wilkesboro. They were 
situated on top of a hill overlooking the bottoms of 
the Yadkin river and Lewis Fork creek, and from 
the fort windows was an excellent view on either 
side. It was an ideal location for a fort and no 
doubt Wade and his gang of robbers felt secure in- 
side the heavy log walls. 

The gang consisted of Wade and Lockwood, two 
renegade Yankee deserters, and about eighty- five 
men from this and adjoining counties. They were a 
terror to the people round about and committed 
many depredtitions, robbing dwellings, smoke-hous- 
es, stores and anything else they could plunder and 
destroy, killing innocent women as well as men. 

On one occasion a woman (the wife of Frank 
Triplett) was passing along the road on the oppo- 
site side of the creek several hundred yards away 
in a covered wagon when one of the robbers decided 
to try his rifle. He fired upon the wagon and the 
ball struck the woman and killed her. 

The last raid of Wade and his gang of robbers 

12 



86. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

was a raid into Alexander county. John Greene, 
father of Dr. W. C. Greene, was one of the most 
prosperous planters in Alexander county. He had 
learned. that the robbers were marching in the direc- 
tion of his house, and supposing that they would 
attempt to rob him he set about making preparation 
to resist them. He supplied all his negroes and 
laborers with arms and stationed them in the 
house. The negroes were stationed in the dining 
room and the old man Greene and his son W. C. 
Greene, whom Wade's men had threatened to kill, 
took position in the front part of the house. About 
bed-time Wade's men surrounded the house and 
Wade and two others went to the front door and 
tried to deceive Mr. Green by pretending to be Con- 
federate soldiers returning from the war. Their 
story was not believed and while Wade and Greene 
were talking some of the robbers were trying to 
force an entrance at a back window. Young Greene 
rushed to the window and began firing on the rob- 
bers who at once retreated. The robbers went up 
on the Brushies and stayed until about daylight and 
then made their way back to Fort Hamby. W. 0. 
Greene at once set about to raise a company to pur- 
sue the robbers and capture them before they could 
reach Fort Hamby; but they soon found that they 
could not overtake them. 

The people were enraged at the conduct of 
these robbers and determined to drive them out of 
the country or capture and destroy them. A com- 
pany was soon made up — mostly of men from Alex- 
ander county — which was prepared to make an at- 
tack on Fort Hamby. The company came across 
the Brushy mountain by Solomon Davis', who had 
been robbed by Wade's gang. Davis told the men 
that he was too old to engage in the attack, but he 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 87. 

wanted to encourage them all he could. He had 
some four-year-old peach brandy to which lie told 
the men to help themselves. They drank what they 
wanted and some of them filled their bottles and 
carried them with them. Jones Brown who had 
just returned from the Confederate army waa in the 
company, and was riding a mule beside Parks 
Gwaltney. When they were riding along the bank 
of the Yadkin river Brown was in a very solemn 
mood. Suddenly he drew his bottle of brandy 
from his pocket and tossed it over on the river bank 
and said: "Parks, I never intend to touch that 
ai^ain." Gwaltney, in relating the incident several 
years later, said that "coming events seem to cast 
a shadow before." But they marched on, and when 
they were near the fort a consultation was held and 
a plan of attack was agreed upon . 

The company, which was composed of about 26 
men, was divided into two squads — one under the 
command of Captain Evan Ellis, of Wilkes, and 
the other under the command of Colonel Sharp 
of Alexander. One squad wa» to dash by and be 
ready to commence the attack on all sides simulta- 
neously. When this was done the fort was sur- 
rounded and firing began. The robbers within the 
fort returned the fire and the battle was hotly con- 
tes.ted. James Linney w^as shot and killed during 
the engagement. The robbers had all the adv^an- 
tages of the fight, as they were protected from the 
fire of the citizens by the thick log walls of the fort, 
while the citizens were in open view to the rob?jers. 
After seeing that the attack could only, result in dis- 
aster to the citizens they retreated under a heavy 
fire from the robbers. Parks Gwaltney said that he 
was marching back and forth firing into one of tbe 
windows of the fort where the robbers were con- 



88. HISTOllICAL SKETCHES 

staiitly passing when he discovered that his com- 
rades were retreating. He followed them and again 
happened to get with Jones Brown. They were ri- 
ding side by side when they came to the ford of 
Lewis Fork creek. While they were in the ford the 
mule which Brown was riding became stubborn and 
would not go along. The balls from the fort were 
flying thick and fast all around them. Gwaltney 
was aiding Brown in trying to get the stubborn 
mule along. \¥hile they were yet in the ford a ball 
struck Brown on the thigh and the blood spouted 
and the clear mountain stream flowed on toward the 
sea crimsoned with the blood of a Southern hero. 
When the ball struck Brown he said, "Parks, take 
care of yourself, I'm killed 1" Tlie blood was flow- 
ing in a stream from the wound and the bullets 
from the fort were coming thicker and faster. By 
this time the mule had become manageable and the 
the two comrades were riding along the road by the 
bank of the stream while the balls knocked up the 
sand all around them. Gwaltney was trying to hold 
his wounded comrade on his mule, but Brown was 
getting weaker every second from the loss of blood, 
and he again told Gwaltney to take care of himself 
as he was already killed. Brown then fell from his 
mule upon the sand and died, and Gwaltney hurried 
on to get beyond the danger line. 

A company of men from Caldwell county had 
previously attacked Fort Ham by, and had succeeded 
in getting to the i*ort but were unable to capture it. 
In the engagement the Cildwell crowd lost two men 
— Clark and Hensely — who were shot and killed by 
the robbers. 

Although defeated m the first engagement, the 
people were more determined than ever to burst up 
the gang of robbers congregated at Fort Hamby, 



OF WILKES COUNTY. Oy. 

and immediate preparation was made for a second 
attack. The first company was reinforced by men 
from Wilkes, Alexander and Iredell counties, and 
about 8 days later they went more determined than 
ever to capture the robbers. The intention was to 
camp on the south side of the Yadkin and wait un- 
til just before day to surround the fort. When the 
citizens approached the place where they intended 
to camp they saw several lights and they supposed 
that Wade and his gang had started out on another 
raid and Sharp's men thought they would intercept 
them and give battle. They charged down on the 
men but to their surprise and delight instead of 
finding Wade's gang found a company of about sev- 
enty-five men from Caldwell awaiting to uttat-k 
Wade's gang of robbers. 

The Caldwell men and the Alexander, Iredell 
and Wilkes men joined forces and awhile b«fore day 
they surrounded the fort and began the attack. All 
that day and all the next night the firing was kept 
up but no man on either side was killed. Awhile 
before daylight the second night Wall Sharp slipped 
up to the kitchen under the cover of the darkness of 
night and set it on fire. When Wade and his men 
discovered that the kitchen was burning they 
thought the fort would be certain to catch on fire 
and that they would either have to surrender or be 
cremated in the fort, so W^ade asked what quarters 
would be given if they would come out and surren- 
der. One of the men replied: "We'll give you a 
passport to h — 1." But Wade thought it better to 
surrender than to remain and be burned up in the 
fort ; so he announced that they would come out and 
surrender. But by some means, presumably by 
jumping from a window, Wade got out of the fort 
without being detected and instead of surrendering 



90. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

made a break for the river. He dashed through the 
citizens' line and was fired upon a number of times 
but without effect. Wade reached the river in safe- 
ty. The others came out and surrendered. 

The robbers under the leadership of Wade num- 
bered eighty-six, but during the seige all had escap- 
ed but four— Bill Beck, Bill Wood, Enoch Wood and 

Lockwood. After these had surrendered the 

fort was searched and all the articles that had been 
stolen by the robbers that could be identified were 
returned to the proper owners. Then the fort itself 
was fired and the people who had been robbed and 
their friends stood by and watched Fort Hamby dis- 
solve to ashes and smoke. 

After the fort had burned to the ground a court 
martial was organized and the four robbers were 
tried and condemned to be shot at the stake. They 
were taken a few paces east of the burned fort and 
tied to stakes. Revs. William R. Gwaltney and 
Isaac Oxford, two Baptist ministers, were in the 
company of citizens, and they both offered prayer 
for the robbers about to be shot at the stake. Wells 
Linney asked to be allowed to shoot Beck, who con- 
fessed that he had shot James Linney in the engage- 
ment on the previous Sunday. The signal was giv- 
en and the detailed men fired upon the four robbers 
tied to the stakes ; their bodies were riddled with 
bullets and their souls went back to the God who 
gave them. 

The citizens then searched along the river for 
Wade but failed to find him. Then they dispersed, 
leaving the four robbers hanging to the stakes, and 
returned to their homes. Wade told some of his 
friends in the community that he sank himself un- 
der the water and got breath through a reed and 
stayed concealed in that wa\^ until late in the even- 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 91. 

ing; he went up and looked at bis comrades hanging 
to the stakes dead ; he immediately left this country 
and has not been heard of since. 

The bodies of the robbers were proba])ly cut down 
in the evening after they were shot, then they lay 
about the ruins of Fort Ham by for three days and 
nights; finally the people of the community put 
them in boxes and hauled them away and buried 
them. 



SIMMONS' CxANG OF ROBBERS. 

There was another gang of robbers under the 
leadership of another renegade Yankee deserter 
named Simmons. They made headquarters out on 
the Brushy mountains. They were as mean and 
daring in their deviltry as the Fort Hamby gang, 
and sometimes the two gangs would raid together. 
A number of innocent people were wontonly mur- 
dered by this gang for no purpose whatever except 
to gratify their hellish desire to kill. On one occa- 
sion a young man who was rather idiotic was capt- 
ured by one of the gang who thought he would take 
him to the camp and have all the fun they wanted 
t)ut of him and then kill him. The young man was 
put in the road before the robber and made to 
march at his command. As they were mai'ching 
through a dark hollow the robj^er was sighting at 
the back of the boy's head and the opportunity to 
commit murder was so tempting that he pulled the 
trigger and the innocent man fell dead. 



92. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

About twenty years before the outbreak of the 
Civil war one morning there was a boy baby found 
lying on the court house steps. The child's parent 
could not be found, so a Presbyterian minister 
named Pervis, who lived on the lot east of the court 
house known as the Cowles place, adopted the child 
into hii home and raised it. Since the boy was 
found at the court house he was named John Wilkes 
after the county. It grew up to manhood and was 
a bright young man. He was wontonly killed by a 
member of the Simmons gang. 

When Stoneman's division of the Federal army 
marched through Wilkes the people hid their horses 
in the woods and mountains for fear they would be 
stolen, and it was several clays that the people were 
afraid to venture ovit. About three days after the 
raid Willian Transoii ventured up to Wilkesboro to 
hear the news. Simmons captured him on his way 
home and intended to kill him. He told him if he 
wanted to pray he would give him a moment. Tran- 
Hou fell to his knees and began beggiiig Simmons 
not to kill him,. One of Simmons' associates was 
touched by Transou's pleading and he too begged 
Simmons to spare him. Simmons finally consented 
to spare Transou if he would tell where his horses 
were at. 

Th© Simmons gang committed some daring rob- 
berie« MioHtly in Alexander and Iredell. After the 
Fort Hamby gang was broke up the band dissolved 
and Simmons left the country. 



OF WTLKES COUNTY. 98 

STONEMAN'S RAID. 

In April, 1865, a detachment of the Federal army 
numbering about twenty-five thousand men marched 
through Wilkes county burning houses, barns, etc., 
robbing and plundering everything in sight leaving 
their trail almost a howling wilderness. They came 
to Wilkes by way of Boone where they burned the 
court house as well as much private property, thence 
by Patterson's Factory where the}^ burned the wool- 
en mills located there, thence down the Yadkin into 
Wilkes. 

They crossed the Yadkin at Holman's ford, and 
the river being swollen, it was with difficulty that 
they succeeded in crossing ; but they crossed in safe- 
ty to the men and horses but a wagon of amuniticu 
and a cannon were overturned and lost in the river. 
The cannon and a lot of the amunition was found 
after the war was over. Here the army was divided 
into two sections ; one section was put under the 
command of General Palma while General Stoneman 
commanded the other section. Palma and his de- 
tachment went on the North side of the Yadkin, 
and Stoneman's section on the South side. 

When the wing of tl e army under Stoneman's 
command reached Cub creek it was too high to ford 
eo he pitched his tent on the hill this side, just east 
of where W. W. Barber now lives, and camped there 
for several days, during which time his soldiers 
were plundering and burning. One morning one of 
his men had entered and was preparing to set fire to 
the tithes the Confederates had collected here, which 
were stored in the old Hall store house just north of 
the court house. Just at that moment Calvin J. 
Cowles stepped in and pursuaded the soldier not to 
burn the building. He argued that the provisions 

« 13 



94. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

ought to be distributed among the poor women and 
children of the Union men in this county. The sol- 
dier told him he would wait until. he could run to 
Sto»*man's camp and see him. This Cowles did at 
the peril of his life and succeeded in saving the 
stores and the court house and jail and other build- 
ingi ai well. 

Stoneman sent Cowles with a number of soldiers 
with a. message to General Palma who was encamp- 
ed on the opposite side of the river with the other 
wing of the army. Cowles urged Palma not to burn 
the factory at Elkin ; this request was complied 
with and the army soon left the county. They went 
down the river to Elkin, then to Mount Airy and 
then to Salisbury. 

The people were left in a desolate condition. Many 
families were left entirely without provisions with 
their houses and barns burned; the men were nearly 
all in the army, robbers abundant in the county, 
and it was with difficulty that starvation was avert- 
ed. 




OF WILKES COUNTY. 95. 

MONTFORD SIDNEY STOKES. 

The subject of this sketch was born at "Morne 
Rouge," in Wilkes county on October the 6th, 1810. 
He was the son of Montford Stokes, who was a U. S. 
Senator and later Governor of North Carolina. 
Sidney Stokes was appointed a cadet to the United 
States Naval Academy at Anapolis, where he gradu- 
ated. Upon his graduation at Anapolis he entered 
the Navy and served for ten years or more when he 
resigned and returned to his plantation to engage in 
farming. 

Stokes was appointed Major of the North Carolina 
Volunteers in the war with Mexico. As an officer in 
the Mexican war he displayed his ability to com- 
mand troops and proved himself a man of superior 
courage. He was the soldiers' favorite officer, and 
as mark of their love and admiration for him they 
presented him a beautiful sword. The sword is now 
in the possession of his daughter, Mrs. C. N. Hunt. 
It is mounted in gold and silver and furnishes a 
handsome appearance. On it are the following in- 
scriptions ; 

"Presented to Maj. M. S. Stokes, of the N. C. Vol, 
by the non-commissioned officers and privates under 
his command in Mexico." 

"Major M. S. Stokes, the Soldiers' Friend." 

After terms of peace were made with Mexico 
Stokes returned to his farm in Wilkes and was one 
of the most successful farmers in this section. Pie 
raised many fine cattle and often drove them on 
foot to Philadelphia to market them. On one occa- 
sion as he was returning from Philadelphia, where 
he had been with a drove of cattle, he stopped for a 
few days with friends in Washington. It was dur- 
ing Andrew Jackson's administration as President 



96. HISTOltlCAL SKETCHES 

and Jackson and Stokes had been school mates at 
Ananolis. While in Washington Stokes was invited 
to attend a banquet where the President was to be 
the guest of honor. Stokes was a tall athlete with 
long limbs and large hands. He rented a conven- 
tional suit for the occasion but it was impossible to 
find a suit that would fit the athletic figure. But 
he went to the banquet and when the reception was 
being given Stokes went up to shake the hand of the 
President. ''Is that you, Sid Stokes?" exclaimed 
the President, and the two old schoolmates em- 
braced and gave a singular coincidence to Washing- 
ton society. 

Sidney Stokes was a perfect gentleman and tried 
to regard everybody else as such. The writer asked 
one of his old slaves — Sam — what kind of a man 
Stokes was. The old darky replied that he was one 
of the best men that ever lived. He said that the 
worst fault he had was that he put too much confi- 
dence in everybody. 

When the Civil war came on Major Stokes formed 
the first company that left this county to join the 
Confederate army. He was elected captain of the 
company, and when the First North Carolina Regi- 
ment was organized on May 11th, 1861, at Warren- 
ton, Stokes' company was put in that Regiment and 
was knowai as Company B. and he was elected Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel of the Regiment. 

Stokes was highly regarded by his superior offi- 
cers as well as by the privates under his command, 
and he had been recommended for promotion in 
recognition of his able services and daring courage. 
But unhappily on the 26th day of June, 1862, he 
was mortally wounded at Chicahominy during the 
Seven Days fight around Richmond. On July Brd, 
1862, this gallant hero died from the wound he had 
received a few davs l^jfore. His remains were 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 97. 

brought home and buried in front of the old Stokes 
residence. 



GENERAL JOHN SEVIER. 

Genral John Sevier was not a native of Wilkes 
county but in that section of country west of the 
Blue Ridge and Smoky mountains that was in the 
time of Severe a portion of Wilkes county he was 
the most conspicuous man. In 1790 he was a mem- 
ber of Congress from North Carolina, living at that 
time in Wilkes county, the portion now Tennesse. 
This year Tennessee was organized and admitted 
into the Union as a State and General Sevier was 
made the first Governor. 

John Sevier was born in Virginia about 1740. 
He came to the Holston river with an exploring par- 
ty about 1769. He directed and aided in the con- 
struction of the first fort on the Watauga river. 
While in defense of Watauga Fort he discovered a 
young lady of tall and erect stature coming with the 
ileetness of the roe towards the fort closely pursued 
by Indians ; her approach to the gate was cut off by 
the Indians, but turning suddenly she eluded her 
pursuers and leaped the palisades at another point 
and fell into the arms of Captain John Sevier. This 
resolute woman was Miss Catharine Sherrill, who 
in a few years became the devoted wife of the Colo- 
nel, and the bosom companion of the General, the 
Governor, tlie Congressman, the Senator, the peo- 
ple's man and the patriot, John Sevier. 

Sevier was a contemporary of Daniel Boone, and 
devoted much of his time to bunting. He was con- 



98. HISTOKICAL SKETCHES 

stantly engaged in defending the fort from the at- 
tacks of the Indians, and from the beginning the 
people of the settlement regarded him as their 
leader. During the Revolutionary war he and his 
associates went into the Indian territory, scattered 
the hostile bands, burnt the Indian towns and re- 
turned to their homes in better security and some 
more confidence of peace. 

At the battle of King's Mountain Sevier com- 
manded a section of the American army and shared 
in the victory at that battle. The North Carolina 
Legislature passed a resolution thanking Sevier for 
his brilliant work at King's Mountain. 

In 1784 came the scenes of the State of Franklin. 
The people beyond the Smokies organized a govern- 
ment of their own under the name of the State of 
Franklin. Sevier was made Governor of Franklin, 
and received his salary in coon skins which was the 
currency of the State. The measures adopted by 
North Carolina to cede the territory to the general 
government caused Sevier and the supporters of the 
State of Franklin to come into measures of adjust- 
ment. Franklin ceded her claims to the 'territory 
to the United States and the territory south of the 
Ohio river was organized. The State of Franklin 
quietly died ; the stage of territorial government 
was passed ; the State of Tennessee was established 
and admitted into the Union, and General Sevier 
was chosen first Governor. 

The authorities in North Carolina had Sevier ar- 
rested and he was taken to Morganton and put in 
prison on the charge of rebelling against the State, 
but was relea^sed because of his services at King's 
Mountain. 

In 1811 he was elected to Congress: he was re- 
elected in 181B. He was a member of the Military 
Committee during the #ar of 1S12. 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 99. 

In 1815 President Madison appointed him on a 
commission to adjust some difficulties with the 
Creek Indians. He engaged in the duties of a com- 
missioner, was taken sick and died at an encamp- 
ment on the east side of the Tallapoosa river, near 
Fort Decatur, Ga., on the 24th of September, 1815, 
and was buried with the honors of war. 



CHARLEY GORDON. 



Charley Gordon was a native of Wilkes county 
and was a Captain under Colonel Cleveland during 
the Revolutionary war. He was at the battle of 
King's Mountain and distinguished himself by 
siezing a British soldier by the "Q" of hair on the 
back of his head and dragging him down the side of 
the mountain. Finally the soldier was enabled to 
draw his sword and immediately Gordon drew his 
revolver and killed him. The subject of this sketch 
was the great-grandfather of General John^B. Gor- 
don, late Governor of the State of Georgia, and a 
cousin of our illustrious Gen. James B. Gordon, 



100. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

GENERAL JAMES B. GORDON. 

Among the great men of Wilkes county the name 
of General James B. Gordon stands in the front. He 
was born in Wilkesboro on the 2nd of November, 
1822, and was a descendant of a respectable KScotch 
ancestr}^. He was educated in the common schools 
and academies of this section and at Emory and 
Henry college. He engaged in the mercantile busi- 
ness and was probably the most successful business 
man in the county in his day. Gordon always took 
a lively interest in politics and he became the lead- 
er of his party in the county. In 1850 he was elect- 
ed to represent the county in the lower house of the 
General Assembly. 

At the outbreak of the Civil war he was one of the 
first to answer the call for volunteers. He enlisted 
in Company B, formed by Sidney Stokes, and was 
elected Lieutenant of the company. This company 
was attached to the First North Carolina Regiment 
upon its organization at Warrenton. 

When the Ninth Regiment (afterwards known as 
the First Cavalry) was organized Governor Ellis ap- 
pointed him Major of the regiment. The regiment 
was composed of picked men and only men of cour- 
age and bravery were chosen for this regiment. In 
a few days Gordon was promoted to Lieutenant- 
Colonel. On the 25th of July, 1862, the cavalry 
was reorganized and the Ninth Regiment was placed 
in the Hampton Brigade. Gordon's regiment was 
Boon called to the retreat at the second Manassas, 
where he showed his skill as a cavalry commander, 
checking the enemy and giving time for the Con- 
federates to euCcessfully retreat with their men and 
artillery. 

At Gettysburg the fightiijg was mostly by infantry 



OF \\aLKES COUNTY, 101 

and artillery and the cavalr}" was not so extensively 
engaged. However, Hampton's Brigade bore the 
5)riint of a severe fight. Gordon commanded the 
First N. C. Cavalry and bravely held his ground. 
Alter the fall of Colonel Kvans he was put in com- 
mand of the 6-3rd Regiment and he commanded that 
regiment during the remainder of the Gettysburg 
c'ampaign. 

At the battles of Culpepper, Jack's Shop and 
Brandy Station, Gordon did such brilliant work as 
to receive the commendation of General Stuart and 
which led to his promotion to Brigadier General. 

In March, 1864, the Fifth N. C. Cavalry returned 
to their several homes for new horses and recupera- 
tion. On May 2nd, they returned to the army and 
were ordered to report to General R. E. Lee for as- 
signment in Gordon's Cavalry Brigade. At that 
time Gordon's brigade consisted of the the First, 
Second, Fourth and Fifth North Carolina Cavalry 
Regiments. 

On April 80th, 1804, a special order was issued 
taking Gordon's Brigade out of Hampton's division 
and placing it in the di\ ision of General W, H. F. 
Lee. Hami)ton regretted to have this done, and his 
order in executing this transfer is here given in full, 
4is it shows the high esteem in which Gordon and 
ills men were held : 

"Headquarters Hampton's Division Cavalry, 
"Cavalry Camp, Army of Northern Va., 
"Milford, May 6, 1864. 
"Brigadier General J. B. Gordon, Commanding 

Cavalry Brigade: 

"General: In pursuance of Special Orders No. 
lis, Department of Northern Virginia, of April 30th, 
and of instructions from Major General J. E. B. 
Stuart, commanding cavalry, you are directed to 
proceed without delay with your command to the 



102. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

vicinity of Shady Grove, where you will concentrate 
your brigade and report for further orders to Ma- 
jor General Stuart. I am directed by Major Gener- 
al Hampton, in communicating the above orders, to 
express to you, and through you to your whole 
brigade, the suri3rise with which he has received the 
orders and the pain it causes him to execute them. 
He indulges the hope that his wishes may be con- 
sulted, and that a new assignment may be made as 
soon as the present emergency shall have passed, 
which will return your brigade to his division and 
give him back the troops to whom he has become so 
attached and whom he has learned to trust in times 
of danger and trial. 

"Indulging this hope, he refrains from saying 
farewell, but will watch the performance of affairs 
and men in the approaching contest with the same 
anxious interest as if they were under his own com- 
mand, confident that if your regiment should be 
eventually returned to him they will bring back 
unsullied banners and a record of glory increased 
and illustrated by new achievements in the coming 
campaign. I am, General, very respectfully 
Your obedient servant, 

"Theo. G. Barker, 
"Major and Assistant Adjt. Gen." 

At the battle of the Wilderness Gordon's Brigade 
did valiant service. He was continually riding and 
walking along the lines of his dismounted regiments. 

On the return of the Confederate forces from Mine 
Run to Spottsylvania C. H. Gordon's brigade made 
the whole distance of of sixty-six miles in 23 hours, 
without rest or sleep, reaching Spottsylvania about 
sunset. Immediately he Avas ordered to attack the 
enemy's right. He responded and succeeded in 
driving the enemy back before he or his men slept. 

In the famous retreat from Petersburg to Appo- 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 108. 

mattox when the Confederates came to Sailor's 
creek they found the bridge burned. The enemy 
was close behind and the Confederates were in a 
perilous situation. The enemy was held in check 
by Gordon's regiments until the bridge was rebuilt 
and the retreat continued. 

At Hagerstown Gordon repulsed an attack that 
General Stuart said saved the trains of the Confed- 
erates. 

On May 9, 18G4, Sherridan began his raid on Rich- 
mond. He had with him his whole corps, three di- 
vieions of cavalry, at least 12,000 mounted men and 
one brigade, and six batteries of artillery. To con- 
tend with this great invading force Stuart could 
command but three brigades — Lomax and Wick- 
ham's, Fitz Lee's division, and Gordon's brigade, 
and of artillery Johnson's battery and a section of 
Hart's. All told not over 4,000. By forced marches 
the two brigades of Fitz Lee suc<'eeded in getting in 
Sherridan 's front at Yellow Tavern on the Brook 
turnpike early in the morning of the 11th, and began 
the battle of Yellow Tavern. About the same time 
Gordon's forces attacked his rear ferociously. The 
Federals burned the Ground Squirrel bridge over 
the South Anna river but Gordon found an old ford, 
almost impassable, where he and his men crossed 
rushed up the hill and drove the enemy back in con- 
fusion. While Sheridan claimed the victory at Yel- 
low Tavern it was about such a victory as Cornwallis 
won at Guilford Court House. It was Sheridan's 
aim to march into Richmond on the 11th, and had 
it not been for Gordon and his gallant men the cap- 
ital of the Confederacy would have fallen into the 
hands of the Yankees that day. 

On the 12th came the fight at Brook Church. 
Gordon was in Sheridan's rear. He had ordered 
some artillery from Richmond which came in due 



104. HISTOKICAL SKETCHES 

time and was trained and fired upon the enemy. Im- 
mediately one or more of Sheridan's guns were- 
turned upon it. Gordon was furious. He raved 
and begged, and called it "band box artillery," but 
his men stayed in the trenches. He became disgust- 
ed and went in a gallop right into the fire down that 
military road, and there he received his death 
wound. He was taken to the hosi^ital but six days 
later he died. 

General Stuart also received his death wound at 
Brook Church, and when at last he was sorely press- 
ed and his squadron broken, just before his death, 
his last words were: "Would to God, Gordon were 
here." But Gordon, too, had received his death 
wound. 

Gordon's remains were brought home and buried 
in the Episcopal cemetery at Wilkesboro. His last 
resting place is marked by a beautiful monument, 
and the ever<^reens and ftowers that grow about his 
grave show the lasting admiration of his comrades, 
friends and relatives. Wilkes is glad that the whole 
country glories in the achievement of her noble son, 
but his fame, his glory, and his tomb are all her 
(nvn . 

In his history of t?he 5th N. G. Cavalry, Col. Paul 
B. Means has this to say : "Our great loss at Brook 
church was the gallant and glorious James B. Gor- 
don. The Fifth loved him as its commander during 
the Gettysburg campaign and as his entire brigade 
did for his splendid courage and merit in all re- 
spects. He was the Murat of the army of Northern 
Virginia, and had he lived he would have added in- 
creased lustre to our North Carolina Cavalry." 

Of him Gen. Julian S. Carr said: "On the 28th 
of Sept., 1863, James B. Gordon, Col. of the 9th, 
was commissioned Brigadier General and took com- 
mand of the Brigade. Under General Gordon it 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 105. 

made famous its name of "The North Carolina Cav- 
alry Brigade," and was thus to the end of the war 
widely known throughout the army of Northern 
Virginia and by a very great many in the army of 
the Potomac. Of course, it was often spoken and 
written of as Gordon's and afterwards Barringer's 
Brigade. 

"Gordon was a genius of war, a "veritable god of 
battle." He did more than any other one man to 
make his brigade what it was, and had he lived his 
brigade would have placed his name as high on 
North Carolina's roll of honor as that of any Con- 
federate, if not higher. At Brook church on the 
12th of May, 1864, he received a wound which prov- 
ed mortal within a week." 



THE "BUZZARD ROOST." 

In the early daj^s of Wilkes county the bottoms 
along the Yadkin and Reddies River at the junction 
of the rivers was heavily timbered with tall cedars. 
The buzzards of all the adjacent country would 
gather there to roost in those cedars. So it became 
known as the "buzzard roost." The bottoms were 
cleared by the late John Finley and were so produc- 
tive that the name, "buzzard roost," was very ap- 
propriate, and as long as Mr. Finley lived the bot- 
toms were known as "John Finley's buzzard roost." 



106. BISTOKTCAL SKETCHES 

GENERAL JAMES WELLBORN. 

In his day General James Wellborn was probably 
the most prominent man in the county. He mar- 
ried Rebecca Montgomery, one of the two heirs to 
the large tracts of land knc^iwn as the Moravian sur- 
veys. 

James Wellborn was appointed General of the 
malitia about the close of the Revolutionary war. 
From the year 1796 to lcSB5 General Wellborn serv- 
ed in the State Senate thirty years. He served in 
succession from 1796 to 1811, from 1817 to 1821, in 
1823 and 1824, in 1828 and 1829, in 1832, and in 
1834 and 1835. Prior to 1835 members of the Gen- 
eral Assembly were elected each year, so Wellborn 
was elected thirty time-! in thirty-nine years. The 
fact that a man can stand so popular for thirty-nine 
years is honor enough for one man. I doubt if the 
world can furnish a like example. 

During his terms in the Senate General Wellborn 
made streneous efforts to have the State build a 
turnpike road from the mountains to the sea, but 
he failed. That was before any railroads were built 
in North Carolina and the turnpike would have 
been a great thing for the people of the west, but 
east had the majority and they knew that the peo- 
ple of the west had to come to them for their neces- 
sities turnpike or no turnpike, aud they were not 
willing to be taxed to build the road for the accom- 
odation of the people of the west. 

It was largely through the efforts of General 
Wellborn that his brother-in-law, Montford Stokes, 
was twice elected to the United States Senate and 
once elected as Governor of the State. 

He was buried on his plantation about 3 miles 
west of Wilkesboro. 



OF WTLKES COUNTY. 107. 

HON. ANDERSON MITCHELL, 

Anderson Mitchell was at one time a distin- 
guished citizen of Wilkes; he was born in Caswell 
county in the year 1800; was educated at the Bing- 
ham School and at the State University at Chapel 
Hill where he graduated in 1821. He read law un- 
der George Henderson and was admitted to the bar 
in 1823. 

Mitchell located in Jefferson, Ashe county, to 
practice his j^rofession. In 1827, '28 and '29 he 
represented Ashe county in the lower branch of the 
Legislature, and in 1838 he was elected to the 'State 
Senate. In 1840 he moved to Wiikesboro and the 
same year was elected to the State Senate from 
Wilkes. In 1842 he was elected to Congress but re- 
sigried in 1843 to devote his entire time to the prac- 
tice of law. 

In 1859 he removed to Statesville. In 1866 he 
was appointed Judge of the Superior Court, and in 
1872 was elected, without opposition, to succeed 
himself as Judge and he served until his death in 
ISlic^ when Governor Brogden appointed D. M. Fur- 
I'hes to succeed him. 

On Dec. 24th, 1876, he died, and was buried in the 
1-emetery at Statesville. 

Judge Mitchell's conduct during the Ku Klux era 
in North Carolina has won for him lasting fame. 
In his district there was no such thing as Ku Klux 
a Howled ; neither was there any necessity for such, 
for all the violators of the law were punished with- 
out fear or favor. Our distinguished county man 
Anderson Mitchell Vannoy was named after him 
^nd was a close companion of the Judge until his 
death. Mitchell was an able lawyer, an excellent 
Judge, and a great and noble man. 



108. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

COL. WM. M. BARBER. 

The subject of this sketch was born Jan. 24th, 
1884. He enlisted in the 87th N. C. Regiment and 
on its organization at High Point, Nov. 20th 1861, 
he was elected Lieutenant-Colonel of the regiment. 

At Fuzzell's Mill Lane's Brigade, led by Col. Bar- 
ber, recaptured the Confederate entrenchments, 
which had been lost by other Confederate troops, on 
the Darbytown road in the presence of General R.E. 
Lee. At* Gravely Hill he led the regiment in a hot 
fight and was wounded in the engagement. 

The officers of Lane's brigade presented their 
leader with a sword and General's sash at Moss 
Neck and Col. Barber was chosen to present the 
presents which he did in a neat and graceful speech. 

Col. Barber was engaged in the battle of Freder- 
icksburg and performed his duty bravely. At Chan- 
cellorsville he grappled with the enemy bravely and 
drove them back but he descri'^ed the fight by his 
regiment as the bloodiest battle he ever saw. 

He was wounded in the fight at Jones' farm near 
Petersburg on Sept. 80th, 1804, and died from the 
wounds on the 8rd of the following October. His 
remains were brought to Wilkesboro and buried in 
the Episcopal cemetery. 



Lee Carmichael was a prominent man in Wilkes 
before the Civil war. He was a fine lawyer and was 
a candidate for Congress against General Thomas L. 
Clingman. He represented the county in the Legis- 
lature a number of times. He died about the close 
of the war. 



OF WILKES COUNTY, 1(X\ 

COL, THOMAS C. LAND. 

Thomas C, Land is one of <^he landmarks of thr^ 
«couaty. He was born March 18, 1828, and was 
raised on sl farm, attending the old fi-eld schools a 
few weeks for a part of the winters. He attended 
Did Beaver Creek Academy for a short time while 
Hugh Stokes was principal. 

At the outbreak of the war he joined Col. Sidney 
Stokes' company as a private and served during the 
war. K« was appointed ^commissary and later cor- 
poral. Inn the Seven Days Fight around Richmond 
he was wounded and was allowed to come home on 
furlough. During his absence from the army he was 
iippointed Lieut»8nant-Colonel of the 58rd regiment, 
which position he assumed on his return to the ar- 
my. He was wounded at the battle of Winchester 
jand a number of other times but not seriously. 

After the war GoL Land returned to Wilkes and 
engaged in teaching school and farming. In 1870 
he went to Oregon and took up land and lived there 
until 1884 when he returned to Wilkes. In 1891 he 
again went to Oregon and lived there until 1898 
when he returned tx) Wilkes where he has since lived. 
While in the West he engaged in farming, teaching 
and mining. 

Col. Land has considerable literary talent and is 
the author of the popular ballad, *'The Death of 
Laura Foster," and a number of other poems. 

Col. Land has been fond of hunting and while in 
the West he had quite a little experience in hunting 
deer, bear and elk. He has the horns of a large elk 
that he killed which he prizes very highly. 

Col. Land is at present a member of the county 
Board of Education, the t:>nly office he ever held. 

15 



no. 



HISTORICAL SKETCHES 



REV. W. R. BRADSHAW. 

BY F. B. HENDREN. 

Rev. W. R. Bradshaw, the pastor of the Baptist 
church in Wilkesboro and North Wilkesboro respect- 
ively, was born in Burke county, N. C, on the 14th 
of July, 1866. His father was a farmer and young 
Bradshaw worked on his father's farm until he was 
eighteen years old. He attended the district school 




REV. W. R. BRADSHAW. 



a few months in the winter, and at eighteen years of 
age he entered Amherst Academy, situated near his 
father's farm, under the tuition of Rev. R. L. Pat- 
ton, one of the ablest ministers and educators in the 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 111. 

State. Here he was fitted for college and, having 
decided to enter the ministry, matriculated at Wake 
Forest College in the fall of 1888 and graduated in 
the class of '92. The following fall he assumed the 
principalship of Moravian Falls Academy and also 
took charge of the Baptist church at Moravian Falls, 
and during the year had charge of other churches in 
this county. Soon after his removal to this county 
he took charge of the Baptist churches at Wilkesbo- 
ro and North Wilkesboro. These pasturates he has 
most acceptably and successfully filled up to the 
present time. He has received several calls to good 
churches in other towns in this State but has uni- 
formly declined them. Under his eloquent sermons 
and wise ministry the churches in the two Wilkes- 
boros have enjoyed a most gratifying and steady 
growth. Nor does his influence cease at the borders 
of the two towns, but reaches out all over the coun- 
ty, throughout which he is well known. He is also 
a prominent personage on the floor of the Baptist 
State Convention and occasionally electrifies it with 
his bursts of eloquence. He is often referred to as 
the "Boy Orator of the Mountains." 

Pure in life and chaste in demeanor, he is yet the 
stern and uncompromising enemy of evil in every 
form, especially of the liquor evil. He is promi- 
nently connected with the educational interests of 
the county. 



1I2\ 



HTSTOKlCAt SKETCHES 



NEWSPAPERS, 

The Husffler, North Wilkesboro. 

The HugTPi>MK was e^ablished in July, 1896, by T, 
J. RobertsoD, the present owner and editor. It was 
a three column, 8 page paper. On January 2, I8C67 




T. J. ROBERTSON. 

tlie entire outfit was destroyed by fire and not a cent 
of insurance on the phint. Mr. Robertson assumed 
the proportions of the name of his paper and in tw ? 
weeks a new outfit was put in and the paper re-ap- 
peared in an enlarged form — a 5 colun n, 8 page 
paper. The Hustler has made steady advancement 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 

and now has a firm hold on the people 



118. 

of North 
Wilkesboro and the county. 

The editor and owner, T. J. Robertson, was born 
in Pittsylvania county, Va., Feb. 27, 18(^5. In 1877 
his parents moved to Kernersville, N. C, where he 
received an academical education. He came to 
North Wilkesboro in 1895 and was editor of the 
North Wilkesboro News until 1896 when he estab- 
lished The Hustler. 




ROBERT A. DEAL. 

The Chronicle i Wilkesboro, 

The Chronicle was established at Lenoir by H. 
S. Blair in 1883, but a few years later was moved 



114. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

to Wilkesboro, and has been published continnously 
ever since. Soon after the paper moved to Wilkes- 
boro R. A. Deal bought it and has owned and con- 
ducted it ever since. In 1899 he bought the Moun- 
tain Breeze and the two offices were consolidated. 

Robert Avery Deal, editor and owner of The 
Chronicle, was born in Caldwell county Dec. 6, 1863, 
and was raised on the farm, attending the public 
schools a part of the sessions. He attended Ruth- 
erford College under Prof. R. L. Abernethy for 
about two years, going in debt for his tuition. 
After leaving Rutherford he taught school, and 
when The Chronicle was established he worked with 
it until he bought the paper, paying the last of his 
Rutherford College tuition after coming to Wilkes- 
boro. On Feb, 7, 1900, he was married to Miss 
Mamie Wallace, by which union two children have 
been born. Mr. Deal is a man of deep thought, and 
by close application has made a reputation for thor- 
oughness in whatever he undertakes. He is an 
ardent democrat and an earnest worker for his par- 
ty, having served for a number of years as chairman 
of the county executive committee. Pie was post- 
master at Wilkesboro during Cleveland's last ad- 
ministration. 

The Yellow Jacket, Moravian Falls. 

The Yellow Jacket was established by R. Don 
Laws in June, 1895, as a three column, four page, 
monthly paper. When the paper was started, out 
in the country, away from any public road and two 
miles from the postoffice, many people predicted 
the thing a failure. As the name implies, the Yel- 
low Jacket was from the beginning a "warm baby." 
It discusses politics almost exclusively from a re- 
publican standpoint. The paper has been enlarged 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 



Ill 



from time to time until now it is a five column 
folio and is issued twice a month. The circulation 
has built up wonderfully. The paper now has about 
20,000 subscribers in every State in the Union. I]i 
order to issue the paper in such quantities it was 
necessary to install new machinery from time to 
time. Now the Yellow Jacket outfit is the best 
printing plant in this section of the State. The 
paper is about to outgrow its present equipment and 




R. DON LAWS. 

Mr. Laws is making arrangements to put in a per- 
fecting press. 

R. Don Laws, the editor and proprietor of the 
Yellow .Jacket, was born in Wilkes county in 1868, 
und worked on the farm till he was 21 years old. 
Mr. Laws printed the following account of himself 
in his paper some time ago : 



116. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

"We were born in Wilkes county, North Carolina, 
in 1868, lived on a farm, ate corn bread and fat 
meat and plowed a steer until we were 21 years old. 
We were blessed with the opportunity of getting to 
attend school for about eighteen months, all told. 
At the age of thirteen we made the first printing 
press we ever saw, carving the type from ivy wood. 
When we obtained money enough a small hand 
press and a few fonts of type were purchased. Print- 
ing seemed to be our fort so we stuck to it. Some- 
how we got the idea in our noggin that we wanted 
to be a one hoss editor, so in June, 1895, without 
any money, and with a printing outfit that was not 
worth twenty-five dollars, we founded the Yellow 
Jacket. For a long time it looked like the game 
was not worth the candle, but we worked the harder, 
hoping that a brighter day will come by and by. 
At last our hopes are partly realized. To-day we 
have a larger paid-up circulation than any other 
paper published in North Carolina, and have at last 
succeeded in replacing the little old printing outfit 
with an up to date plant and have that paid for." 

Mr. Laws is a man of more than ordinary wit and 
seems to be specially suited to the work he has a- 
dopted. He married Miss Dora Wallace and they 
have three children. 

The Patriot, Moravian Falls. 

The Patriot is a three column, four page paper 
established a few months ago by James Larkin 
Pearson. Mr. Pearson is a young man, about 23 
years old. He in widely known throughout this 
county as a poet, having been writing verse since 
his youth. He made his first printing press out of 
wood. 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 



117. 



The Blue Ridge Baptist, North Wilkesboro. 

The Blue Ridge Baptist was established in 
Wilkesboro in 1900 with Rev. W. R. Bradshaw and 
F. B. Hendren editors. The next year the paper 
changed hands and A. C. Hamby became editor and 




A. C. HAMBY. 

D. W. Lee manager, and the paper was moved to 
North Wilkesboro. The Baptist is a clean religious 
paper and speaks well for its young editor and man- 
ager. 

A. G. Hamby, editor, was born in Wilkes county 
Aug. 28, 1876, and worked on his father's farm un- 



118. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

til he was seventeen years old. He attended Bethel 
Hill Institute, Trap Hill Institute, Whitehead Acad- 
emy, and he also spent nine months at Wake Forest 
College. He paid his tuition and board by teaching 
and working as a farm hand. He also attended the 
Blue Ridge Institute for one session. He was licens- 
ed to preach by hiB church but has not yet been or- 
dained. 

D. W. Lee, manager of the Baptist, was born 
June 28, 1875, was raised on the farm and attended 
school at Bethel Hill, Trap Hill and Whitehead. 
At the last named place he taught a commercial de- 
partment for one session. He was principal of New 
Hope Academy in 1898 and 1899. In 1900 he, in 
copartnership with his brother, established the Bap- 
tist Instructor which was consolidated with the 
Blue Ridge Baptist in 1901. 

The Curfew, Breivers. 

The Curfew was established m 1898 by W. L. 
Brewer and J. J. Spicer ; at first it was a 3 colum, 4 
l^age paper but it has been enlarged to a 6 column, 
4 page paper. Mr. Brewer, the present editor, is a 
man of character and ability. (Further particulars 
about the Curfew have not reached the author.) 



OF WILKE8 COUNTY. 



119. 



LAWYERS, 

John S, Cranor, 

John Samuel Cranor was born at Rockford, in 
Surry county, April 26, 1847. When he was about 




JNO. S. CRANOR. 

ten years old his father moved to Wilkesboro and 
engaged in running a hotel. In 1864 he entered the 
Confederate army, being then only seventeen years. 
He enlisted in Company B, and was intended to be 
assigned to the First Battalion North Carolina Re- 
serves and was stationed at Camp Vance for instruc- 
tions. Here he was captured by Col. Kirk of the 



120. HiaTOKlCAL SKETCHES 

Federal army and was carried as a prisoner of war 
to a prison camp at Chicago, where he was kept for 
twelve months. While in prison he endured many 
hardships and witnessed the death • of many com- 
rades from exposure and hardships. After being 
paroled after peace was proclaimed he returned to- 
Wilkesboro, studied law and was admitted to the 
bar in 1868. 

On Nov. 27, 1872, he was married to Miss Sarah 
Taylor and to them were born nine children. Mrs. 
Cranor died in May, 1902. 

Mr. Cranor was Register of Deeds from 1884 to 
'86. In 1893 he represented his district in the State 
Senate ; he was elected by 745 majority when the 
majority was iisually about that much for the oppo- 
sing party. Mr. Cranor is at present Mayor of the 
town of Wilkesboro. 

Frank B, Hendren. 

The subject of this sketch was born Feb. 24, 
1860, and worked on the farm until he was 21 years 
old attending the public schools about two months 
during the winter for a part of the winters. He en- 
tered Moravian Falls Academy and was prepared for 
college by Rev. Geo. W. Greene, principal of the 
academy. Before entering college he taught school 
in Ashe county one year and at Vashti academy, in 
Alexander county, one year. In 1884 he entered 
Wake Forest College and graduated in 1888. After 
his graduation he taught school for ten years, teach- 
ing in Montgomery county, in High Point Female 
College, in the Winston Graded Schools, in Jackson 
county, and finally for four years was principal of 
Moravian Falls academy. In 1895 he was admitted 
to the bar, but taught school two years after. In 
1898 he moved to Morganton and formed a partner- 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 121. 

ship with J. F. Spainhour for the practice of law. 
He returned to Wilkesboro in 1900 where he has 
since resided practicing his profession. While he 
was at Morganton he was elected County Superin- 
tendent of Schools of Burke county. Mr. Hendren 




FRANK B. HENDREN. 

is a ripe scholar and an able jurist. He is an en- 
thusiastic member of the Baptist church and is a 
great Sunday School worker. 

William W, Barber, 

The subject of this sketch was born in Wilkesboro 
Oct. 14, 1855, and was educated by his father, Rev. 



122. 



HISTOKICAL SKETCHES 



R. W. Barber; he read law at Lenoir under CoL 
Geo. N. Folk and was admitted to the bar in 1879. 
In 1882 he formed a copartnership with Col. W. H. 
H. Cowles for the practice of law; the partnership 
existed until 1887, several years after Col. Cowles 
had been elected to Congress and was mutually dis- 




WILLIAM W. BARBER. 

solved ; since that time he has practiced law alone 
in Wilkes and adjoining counties. 

In early life he showed a fondness for politics and 
since 1876 he has been an active worker for his par- 
ty. He has several times been chairman of the 
County Executive Committee of the Democratic 
party ; he served eight years as a member of the ex- 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 128. 

ecutive committee for the judicial district, four 
years as chairman ; for ten years he has been a mem- 
ber of the Congressional Executive Committee, two 
years as chairman, and is still a member of the 
committee ; he also served six years as a member of 
the State Executive Committee. He was clerk to 
the committee in Washington of which Col. Cowles 
was chairman, but he resigned in 1889, after serving 
nearly two years, to take his seat in the State Sen- 
ate to which he was elected the previous year. 

In 1890 he was the Democratic candidate for So- 
licitor in this district ; he canvassed the district 
against Hon. Thomas Settle, the Republican candi- 
date. As the district was largely Republican Bar- 
ber was defeated but he ran ahead of the ticket. 
Mr. Settle resigned in 1898 and Gov. Thos. M. Holt 
appointed Mr. Barber to succeed him and he served 
till 1895. In 1894 he was again nominated by his 
party for Solicitor but with his party he went d«:)wn 
in defeat in that memorable campaign of 1894, 
again running ahead of his ticket. 

In 1891 he was married to Miss Wilcox, daughter 
of Dr. J. O. Wilcox, of Ashe county, and four chil- 
dren bless their home. Mr. Barber stands in the 
fore front in his profession. 

Frank D. Hackeff. 

Mr. Hackett was born near Wilkesboro June 14, 
1857. His father was a distinguished educator and 
his mother was a Miss Sturgis, daughter of Judge 
Sturgis of the Georgia Supreme Court. He studied 
law under Maj. Bingham, of Statesville, and was 
admitted to the bar in 1890. He was Distiller}- 
Surveyor during Cleveland's second administration. 
In the Legislature of 1899 he was assistant to the 
Principal Clerk of the House; in 1901 he was again 



124. 



HISTORICAL SKETCHES 




FRANK D. HACKETT. 

selected for the same position. In 1900 he was a 
candidate before the Democratic convention for the 
nomination for State Auditor, but retired in favor 
of Maj. Dixon. 

Lytle N. Hick er son » 
The subject of this sketch was born in Boone 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 125. 

'County, Arkansas, August 20, 1874. When he 'Was 
:jibout seven years old his parents movfed td'this 
■county. Lytle worked on the farm and attended 
the academic school at Eonda^ he also went to Mo- 
ravian Falls Academy two years and finally took 
the four years course at the State University at 
Ohapel Hill, after which he studied law at States- 
ville under Judge R. F. Arnifield and was admitted 
to the bar. He located at North Wilkesboro where 
he has since lived. He married Miss Jarvis, daugh- 
ter of L. A, Jarvis, of North Wilkesboro. 

Ewkard N. Hackett, 

The subject of this sketch was born in Wilkesbo- 
ro on the 4th of December, 1866. He was educated 
at the State University at Chapel Hill where he 
graduated in June, 1887. Then he took up the study 
of law under Col. Geo. N. Folk, and in September, 
1888-, was admitted to the bar. He located in his 
native town and has become one of the ablest jurists 
and advocates in this section of the State. 

Mr. Has always taken a lively interest in politics, 
and when he was only twenty-one years old he was 
chosen as chairman of the county Democratic Exec- 
utive Committee and he served continuously for six 
years. While he was chairman his party made 
steady gains until in the election following the last 
campaign under his direction a part of the Demo- 
cratic nominees were elected. For more than ten 
years he has been a member of the State Democratic 
Executive Committee, and is also a member of the 
Judicial Executive Committee. At all times he has 
taken an active personal interest in the advance- 
ment and campaigns of his party, and he is one of 
the most forceful orators in the West. 

In 1889 he was Commissioner of State to repre- 

16 



126. 



HISTORICAL SKETCHES 



sent North Carolina in New York at the centennial 
alnniversary of Washington's Inaugeration. 

In 1896 he was a candidate for the Lesjislature but 




OF WILKES COUNTY. 127. 

was defeated though he led the Democratic ticket by 
f]00 votes. In 1898 he was a candidate for the nom- 
ination for Congress from the eighth district and 
was defeated by only four votes. In 1900 his name 
was again brought before the convention, but he 
was defeated by J. C. Buxton, after which he grace- 
fully took the stump and canvassed the district for 
Mr. Buxton. 

In the campaign preceeding the August election 
of 1900 Mr. Hackett canvassed the north-western 
portion of the State in behalf of the State ticket 
and the constitutional amendment. 

In 1901 he was appointed Assistant Secretary of 
State for the purpose of annotating and indexing 
the laws of the G-enoral Assembl}^ of the session of 
1901. 

He is an officer of the Grand Lodge of Masons of 
North Carolina, and is an earnest worker for the 
order, especiall}^ for the orphanage of the order. He 
is a distinguished looking gentleman of pleasant 
and agreeable manner, a man of unsullied honor, a 
lawyer of much ability, and one of the coming 
statesmen of North Carolina. 

Herbert L. Greene. 

Mr. Greene was born in Wilkesboro May 28, 
1865, and was educated at the Wilkesboro Academy 
and at the State University. He read law under 
Col. Geo. N. Folk and was admitted to the bar in 
1887. Instead of becoming a candidate for office 
he stuck to the practice of law and, in partnership 
with T. B. Finley, has built up a large practice. 
Although against his wishes, he was nominated for 
the Legislature in 1900 by the Democratic party, 
and he represented the county in the next General 
Assembly. Mr. Greene has been chairman of the 



128. 



HISTOKTCAL SKETCHIT^ 



Coimty and also the Congressional Executive Cbiii- 
niittees of his party. 

Mr. Greene is the author of the bill enacted by 
the Legislature of 1901 commanding the commis- 
sioners of Wilkes county to build a new court house. 




HERBERT L. GREENE. 

He also helped to secure the passage of the bill to 
build the Wilkesboro and Jefferson turnpike by the 
penitentiary convicts. 

He was married in 1898 to Miss Davie Wellborn. 



Hugh A. Cranor, 

Mr. Cranor is a son John S. Cranor and was born 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 129. 

in Wilkesboro Nov. 20, 1875. He attended Wilkes- 
boro Academy and the State University ; studied 
law at the law department of Wake Forest College 
and was admitted to the bar in 1902. He is a bright 
young lawyer and has a promising future. 

Col. Thomas J. Dida. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Caldwell 
county and was raised on the farm ; he attended the 
common schools and Emory and Henry college. He 
studied law under Judge Anderson Mitchell and was 
admitted to the bar about 1855 and located at Le- 
noir ; in 1858 he was elected to the Legislature from 
Caldwell. When the Civil war broke out he entered 
the Confederate army as a private in company I, 
26th N. C. regiment. He was detailed to return 
home and form a new company ; he was elected Ma- 
jor and later was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel. 
During the war he was twice wounded. In 1871 he 
moved to Wilkesboro and the next year was elected 
to the Legislature, and also in 1874. In 1875 he 
was elected a delegate to the Constitutional Con- 
vention. In 1876 he was the Republican nominee 
for Congress but was defeated by Maj. Robbins. In 
1900 he was elected to the State Senate. 

L. C. Carter, 

Littleton Calhoun Carter was born May 14, 
1871, and was raised on the farm. He was educated 
in the common schools and at Fair View College, 
Trap Hill. For a number of years he engaged in 
teaching school. At the age of twenty-two he be- 
gan the study of law under Maj. Bingham, of States- 
ville, and seven months later was admitted to 
the bar. 



130. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

Thomas B. Finley. 

The subject of this sketch is the son of the late 
Augustus W. Finley, one of the \yelthiest and most- 
influential men that ever lived in the county. His 
mother's maiden name was Miss Martha Gordon. 
On his farm — where North Wilkesboro now stands — 
in the year 1862 was Thomos B. Finley born. Dur- 
ing his boyhood he worked hard on the farm, keep- 
ing his work apace with that of the negroes hired by 
his father. He was educated at Wilkesboro Acade- 
my, Finley High School at Lenoir and at Davidson 
College, completing an elective or scientific course 
at the latter place in three years. At Davidson 
College he won a gold medal for declaming. Re- 
read law under Col. Geo. N. Folk and was admitted 
to the bar in 1885. After receiving his license he 
located at Wilkesboro to practice his profession. He 
formed a partnership with H . L. Greene which ex- 
ists up to this time. 

Mr. Finley has been the promoter of many of the 
business institutions of this county. He was one of 
the men who planned and founded the town of 
North Wilkesboro ; he was the first man to advocate 
the establishment of the Bank of North Wilkesboro 
and it was largely through his efforts that the bank 
was established. At present he is a director of the 
I)ank. In 1888 he canvassed the county in favor of 
the county issuing $100,000 bonds for the construc- 
tion of a railroad to Wilkesboro. He has helped to 
promote several other business institutions. 

Although streneously urged by his friends Mr; 
Finley has never been a candidate for office. In 
1902 he was speciallv urged to become a candidate 
for Judge of the Superior Court ; although assured 
of the nomination he declined to abandon his prac- 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 131. 

tice. He has appeared in a majority of the civil 
■cases tried in the county since he was admitted to 
the bar. 

In 1893 he was married to Miss Carrie Lizzie 
Cowles, and five children bless their home. 

James W. McNeill. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Beaver 
Creek township Feb. 8, 1872. Until he was ten 
years old he lived on a farm and attended the public 
schools ; in 1882 his father, Rev. Milton McNeill, 
was elected Sheriff of the county and moved his 
family to Wilkesboro where they have since resided . 
The subject of this sketch attended Wilkesboro 
Academy, and in 1892 entered Wake Forest College 
;and took a special course preparatory to the study 
of law. He studied law at the State University and 
was admitted to the bar in 1895. Before entering 
college he was Deputy Clerk of the Superior Court 
under his father. After obtaining license to prac- 
tice law he located at Winston for six months. In 
1896 he located in Wilkesboro and became the law 
partner of Solicitor Mott. During this partnership 
and since he has done much work for Mr. Mott, 
acting as Solicitor pro tern. In 1899 he formed a 
partnership with his brother R. H. McNeill and 
they now have offices in Wilkesboro and Jefferson, 
and at each place they have a large practice. 

In 1900 Mr. McNeill was nominated for the Leg- 
islature by the Republican party and was elected by 
259 majority, but by means of the trickery of polit- 
ical machines four largely Republican precincts 
were thrown out by the Canvassing Board, thus giv- 
ing the place to another man by 41 majority. 

In 1900 he was married to Miss Anna Gertrude 
Johnson of Raleigh. 



132. 



HISTORICAL SKETCHES 




JAMES W. M NEILL. 

At the present time Mr. McNeill is the chosen 
candidate of his party for Solicitor in this district ; 
his chances of election are good. The experience 
he has had as Solicitor pro tern, makes him special- 
ly qualified for the office, while his services as So- 
licitor have distinguished him as an able prosecu- 
ting officer. 

Mr. McNeill is a distinguished looking gentleman 
and is one of the most gifted orators in this section. 
He has made a marked success as a lawyer — seldom 
equaled in so short a time — and a bright future is 
before him. 



OF WILKEB COUNTY. 133. 

Luther M, Lyon. 

Mr. Lyon was born in Wilkes county Jan. 24, 
1871, was raised on a farm and was educated in the 
common schools and academies of his section. He 
taught school for a number of years, and then read 
law at the State University and under Chas. H. 
Armfield and was admitted to the ]mr in 1899. He 
is locat^ed at Wilkesboro. His great grandfather 
Jacob Lyon, was a soldier in the Revolutionary war 
■and was in the ba;ttles of Brandy Wine and Kings 
Mountain. 



PHYSICIANS, 

Dr. J. W. WMte. 



Dr, White was born near Hamptonville in Yad- 
Idn county March 9, 1861, and was raised on the 
farm. When he was onl}^ six years old his father 
died leaving three children, two younger than the 
subject of this sketch. When he became old enough 
the duty fell upon him to take the lead in caring for 
liis mother and plantation. He received his literary 
education in the public schools and academies of 
his community, and he attended Jefferson Medical 
-College, Philadelphia, wh«re he graduated in 1889. 
He practiced medicine at Osbornville four years and 
then moved to Wilkesboro where he has since resid- 
ed. He has also takon two post graduate courses. 
He is a member of the North Carolina Medical Soci- 
ety and in 1898 was elected Vice President of that 
body. He was county physician for about four 

18 



184. 



HISTORICAL SKETCHES 




DR. J. W. WHITE. 

years. In 1898 he was married to Miss 
nor and one child blesses their home. 

Dr. Geo. Doughton. 



Pearl Syd- 



The subject of this sketch was born in Alleghany 
county in 18(^0 and was raised on the farm ; was ed- 
ucated in the public schools and academies of the 
community, and is a graduate of the Baltimore col- 
lege of Physicians and Surgeons and a post graduate 
of the New York Polycinic in the class of 1891. He 
has also attended several other short courses — at 
John Hopkins and elsewhere. At present he is local 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 185. 

surgeon for the Southern Railway, surgeon for. the 
Penitentiary convict camp. In 1888 he was married 
to Miss Nannie B. Edwards and they now have four 
children. 

Dr. Wm. P. Horton, 

The subject of this sketch was born in Watauga 
county in 1867, was raised on the farm and was ed- 
ucated in the public schools and academies. He 
studied medicine under Dr. Council and at the Bal- 
timore College of Physicians and Surgeons. At first 
he located at Southerlands, and in 1892 he moved to 
North Wilkesboro. Pie has been phvsician for the 
Southern Railway and he is now physician for the 
county. He was married to Miss Emma Wynn and 
they have four children. 

Dr, James M. Turner. 

Dr. Turner was born in Iredell county on the 80th 
of April, 1858, was raised on the farm and was edu- 
cated at Cool Springs Academy. For a short time 
he taught school in this State and Tennessee. He 
studied medicine under Dr. John Anderson and at 
Louisville University where he graduated in 1881. 
He first located in Davie county and remained there 
for more than five years, then moved to Wilkesboro 
in 1886 where he has since lived. He has been Co. 
Supt. of Health at least half of the time since he 
has been in the county. He is half owner of one of 
the first roller flouring mills established in the 
county. Dr. Turner has taken much interest in the 
material development of the tow^n and county and 
owns considerable property. He has been married 
twice, first to Miss Mollie E. Howell who died in 
1887; in 1889 he was married to Miss Sallie Bledsoe. 



136. 



HISTORICAL SKETCHEB 




DR. JAS. M. TURNER. 

He has had eight, children, three by his first wife 
(two of whom are dead), and five by his last wife. 

Dr. Comedore L. Hamby was born in Rowan 
county June 28, 1857, was educated in the common 
schools and academies of his section. He graduated 
at Louisville Medical College in 1886. He first lo- 
cated at Trap Hill where he remained there ten 
years and then moved to Myers where he now lives. 
For the last six years he has been a member of the 
U. S. Examining Board of Surgeons for pensioners. 
In 1878 he was married to Miss Evaline Darnall and 
they have six children. 



OF WILKES COUNTY. IBT- 

Dr. F. H. Gilreath was born in Wilkes county 
March 15th, 1869, was educated at Moravian Falls 
Academy and at Vanderbilt University and at the 
Medical University at Nashville where he graduated 
in 1898. He served for more than three years as 
Stewart in the U. S. Army at Fort Myre. In 1901 
he was appointed by the Superintendent of the Pen- 
itentiary as physician for the convict camp in 
Mitchell county. 

Drs. R. W. S. Pegram and L. P. Somers are a- 
mong our county physicians but the author is un- 
able to give sketches of them. Both are members 
of the U. S. Board of Examining Surgeons. 



SCHOOLS OF WILKES COUNTY. 

BY C. C. WRIGHT, CO. SUPT. OF SCHOOLS. 

Wilkes county has had and now has a numl^er of 
excellent schools of high grade. Among tliese are 
Moravian Falls, one of the oldest higher institutions 
of learning in the county. It flourished for a num- 
ber of years under the wise and prudent manage- 
ment of Rev. Gr. W. Greene and in later years of 
Rev. W. R. Bradshaw, F. B. Hendren, Rev. J. J. 
Beach, Profs. Patton, Surratt and others. Another 
one worthy of mention is Boomer High School, 
which for a number of years was prosperous under 
the care of Profs. A. E. Booth and W. S. Surrcitt. 
The school is now in the hands of Prof. J. A. Bol- 
din and bids fair to be one of our best schools. The 
college at Trap Hill and the Institute for quite a 
while did great good under the management of Prof. 
Wagoner, Smith and others sending out many teach- 
ers for the public schools of this and adjoining 



188. 



HISTOKICAL SKETCHES. 



counties. The schools in the towns, Wilkesboro 
and North Wilkesboro, have usually been undei: the 
care of competent and able instructors and in the 
main have been successful. The Blue Ridge Insti- 
tute now under the care of Rev. W. R. Bradshaw 
bids fair to be the leading preparatory school in 
western N. C. There are academies at Braver Creek, 
New Hope, Cross Roads, Sulphur Springs, Peach 
Orchard, Buggaboo and Ronda but for some time 
no school has been taught in these save the public 
school. 




JAMES GORIK)N HACKETT. 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 189. 

James Gordon Hackett is one of the prominent 
citizens of the county. He was appointed by Gov. 
Aycock as one of the Penitentiary Directors. He 
was one of the promoters of the Jefferson turnpike. 
He is the brother of Richard N. Hackett. 



CALVIN J. COWLES. 



Mr. Cowles, the subject of this sketch, is one of 
the pioneer citizens of this county. Probably he 
knows mor« of the history of the county than any 
•other man now living. The author of this work is 




CALVIN J. COWLES. 



140. HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

largely indebted to him for his assistance in getting 
lip this voliimn. 

He Avas born at Hampton ville in old Surry county 
Jan. 6th, 1821. When 18 years old he entered his 
father's store as a clerk where he spent most of his 
time until he was 21 years old. In his school days 
there were no free schools and he got his education 
at the old field subscription school and by studying 
his books at home. At the age of twelve he was 
afflicted with white swelling from which he has suf- 
fered more or less ever since. He was appointed by 
Congressman Lewis Williams as cadet to the Naval 
academy at Anapolis but declined in favor of his 
step brother. 

In 1846 he moved to Wilkes and put up a store at 
the mouth of Elk hauling his goods in wagons from 
Fayetteville, N. C, and Columbia, S. C, the near- 
est railroad points at that time. He was the first 
man in the county to deal in roots and herbs. In 
1858 he moved to Wilkesboro. 

During the war Cowles was an avowed Union man 
but would have been conscripted into the Confeder- 
ate service had it not been for his physical disabil- 
ity. After the war he took a prominent part in re- 
construction. In 1866 he was a candidate for a 
seat in the Constitutional Convention but was de- 
feated. In 1867 he was again a candidate for the 
same position and was elected and was made Presi- 
dent of the Convention, receiving 101 of the 109 
votes cast. The convention was composed of 87 
native Carolinians, 18 carpet baggers and 15 negroes 
all elected by the people under martial law. To 
this Convention we are indebted for our present 
constitution (with a few changes), including our 
splendid court system. (Hon. J. Q. A. Bryan was a 
member of this Convention.) 

During the Ku Klux regime Mr. Cowles went to 



OF WILKES COUNTY. 141. 

Gen. Grant for aid in protecting life and property 
in the State. 

In '67 Cowles was a candidate for the State Sen- 
ate but was defeated* by one vote. 

In '68 he was a candidate for Congress but was 
defeated by Nathaniel Boyden. 

Cowles was a director of the W. N. C. R. R. and 
only lacked one vote of being elected president. 

In '68 he was appointed by President Johnson as 
Assay or in charge of the mint at Charlotte, which 
position he held for 16 years. In '75 Congress fail- 
ed to make any appropriation for the mint, and the 
Collector of Internal Revenue sold the property for 
$7,000. Cowles was successful in getting the sale 
canceled. 

Mr. Cowles has been married twice ; first to Mar- 
tha T. Devaul by whom he had eight children three 
of whom died in infancy ; in 1868 he was married to 
Ida A. Holden, daughter of ex-Governor Holden ; 
by his second wife he has eight children — five living 
and three dead. 

For the last few years he has lived the life of a 
private citizen in Wilkesboro. He is the largest 
real estate owner in the county and one of the lar- 
gest in the State. 



